The following morning, the kids decided to re-kindle the fire and proceeded to cook some toast in the embers! Heading south through the Atherton Tablelands, our first stop was Coffee World at Mareeba. Ohhhh- well worth a stop here! Our entry included all-you-can-drink/eat of 21 coffee blends, 4 blends of tea, 12 flavours of chocolate and 4 liquors. Needless to say, we didn’t want to see any more coffee or chocolate by the time we walked out of there! Of course, I have to mention that the museum was one of the best I have seen- even including 5 themed rooms. The kids loved belly dancing in the Arabian room and the Italian section was very quaint! What really impressed us was that the kids were given sheets to complete- Josh and Kaytlin did some wonderful colouring in, while Zach raced around the museum with the self-guide listening device and answered the quiz. We spent at least 3 hours here.

We continued south to the Malanda area and stopped in at Nerada Tea farm and factory. We made it just in time to join the last tour of the day. It was really good to walk through the tea trees and then tour through the factory where they process the tea leaves. We were able to get right up close to the machinery and watch the process; it was quite interesting and we all learnt something new. Indeed, we didn’t really realise the extent involved in producing the tea we purchase at the shops.

We then ventured out of the Atherton Tablelands and headed for Paronella Park, our stop for the night. Paronella Park is located about 20km west of Innisfail. It was built Jose Paronella, a spanish man who worked hard to make a place of paradise for his family. The park features his Spanish castle and what is left of the once elegant ballroom and ice cream parlour. It has grand staircase leading down to a gorgeous picnic area right beside Mena Falls. Further down is a ‘recreation room’ with it’s own electrictric lights and water fountains. Jose powered it off his own hydro- electricity, which he cleverly designed under Mena Falls. As you walk through the grounds, there are meandering pathways through the dense rainforest allowing you to truely immerse yourself in the wonder of the place.

The kids discovered turtles and eals in the lake, as well as a tunnel system and another smaller waterfall.

After we set up, we joined the 6:15 night tour- which was just magical and brought another perspective on the park. The lighting that management has placed throughout the park and waterfall is simpley gorgeous. After the kids went to bed, Melinda even joined the 8:30pm tour for another wander around the park.

Although the park almost went to ruins after Jose death, it is gradually being restored by its new owners. They have now even restored the water power system and the whole park now runs off hydro power. Visiting Paronella has certainly been a highlight of this trip- the park simply captured our hearts. The history and wonder behind this place is truly touching. We joined the night tour, putting another perspective on the park with light and sound. When the kids went to bed, Melinda even joined the late 8:30 tour to enjoy the park a second time.

We had booked in advance (recommended) to stay in the adjacent van park and found that the $90 for our family stay, as well as all night and day tours, was very affordable and truly worth every cent!