Paronella and Tjapukai: Cairns Tourist Attractions

Cairns offer a cultural tour-de-force for tourists. Most of them are amazed at the variety of attractions on offer – from aquamarine oceans to pristine beaches, from rainforests to coral reefs, from cultural attractions to skydiving opportunities. Paronella Park and the Tjapukai Dreamtime Aboriginal attraction offer two starkly different perspectives into Australia.Situated over 13 acres of pristine tropical rainforest, along the Mena Creek which falls nearby creating a magnificent spectacle, Paronella Park is the dream of a young man called Jose Paronella. In 1929 he dreamt of a tropical paradise within a rainforest with a dream castle, jungle pathways, caves, and with facilities for grand parties, lavish entertainment, tennis, viewing platforms, etc. He built roads, dug through mountains, and planted thousands of trees that now line the Kauri Avenue. He built Australia’s first hydroelectric power station at the Mena Creek waterfall to power his castle. In the years since, Paronella Park has survived disasters, death, more disasters, change of ownership, and much else. Today, Paronella Park is a celebrated attraction having been featured in many Hollywood movies and popular television serials. For example, the movie Sniper with Tom Berenger made the most of the unique tropical appearance of this piece of paradise. It offers a sublime experience – a jungle castle from fantasy-land that seems to have grown in the rainforest, a magnificent waterfall nearby that is host to the playful frolic of families, lavish facilities within an ageless untamed garden. Paronella recalls the ‘stately pleasure dome’ in Coleridge’s Kubla Khan, and lives with you for long. In a way it is a metaphor of the colonized Australia – a spectacle of civilization brought about by sheer determination within an unforgiving environment. It is open between 8.30 AM and 5 PM on all days, except Christmas. The Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, on the other hand, is a more recent addition to an ageless culture. It originated in 1987 in the form of an hour-long play that showed Aboriginal culture and tradition, songs and dance to an appreciative audience in Kuranda, the ‘village in a rainforest’. Today, it has grown into a $9 million venture, employing the largest number of indigenous people in Australia. Within an ageless rainforest that has been their home for more than 40,000 years, the Tjapukai Park has become a bridge between a controversial past little understood and a fast present that peeps into the former with curiosity at best; between the original owners of an ancient land on the mouth of extinction and a population that has only a vague conception of the Aborgines. It has its many attractions including the Magic Space, a museum of artifacts that trace the Tjapukai history. The Creation Theater is like a looking glass into the Aboriginal Genesis where live actors ‘interact’ with holographic images retelling the birth, spiritual and cultural beliefs of this primeval culture. The History Theatre features a short movie on the journey of the Tjapukai (‘The People of the Rainforest’) during the last 120 years when they were most affected by the encroachment of the modern world. The Dance Theater shows live renditions and performances set in outdoor location with traditional songs, poetry and dance. There is an additional Gallery, which also houses traditional artefacts. In the Tjapukai Camp visitors can throw boomerangs, play didgeridoo or other instruments or sample bush food as Tjapukai people in traditional (un)dress intermix with the tourists. The Boomerang Restaurant, a five-star buffet restaurant with mouth-watering traditional food, is very popular with tourists and is considered a must-see for all visitors. ‘Tjapukai’ is open between 9 AM and 5 PM on all days (save Christmas and New Years Days). On Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, there are nightly performances after 7.30 PM. Paronella and Tjapukai are as different from each other as chalk and cheese; yet they represent two startling aspects of Australia. The city of Cairns http://www.grosvenorcairns.com.au/map.htm is truly the hub of Tropical North Queensland. With its natural attractions, cultural artefacts, fabulous climate, adventure and shopping opportunities, Cairns is a holiday inclusion one should never miss. DisclaimerWe take no responsibility for inaccuracy or omissions in the information provided, which is not intended as specific advice. Before relying on the material, you should obtain appropriate professional advice relevant to your individual circumstances to evaluate accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance of the information to your specific needs.

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