I went on a journey to a place called Paronella Park. I had never been anywhere like this before so it sounded really mysterious and exciting. It was an interesting drive to get there past banana plantations and rolling green grasslands and over railway crossings. I bought my ticket, entered and waited for the next tour to begin which I was told would begin soon.
I sat on a chair on the verandah outside and waited with other travellers. I saw international tourists and families all eager to explore this place like me. Soon our guide arrived dressed in the green Paronella Park uniform and sporting a beard. He gave us each a map of the park and directed us to follow him.
Our guide guided us through the park, stopping at numerous locations for us to appreciate the beauty and take some photographs. We stopped at a water feature, the Tunnel of Love and at waterfalls. The first waterfall was small but beautiful. The second one was magnificent. A bridge crossed its top and water cascaded down into the big green pool below. I could not resist photographing the beauty. Our guide bid us farewell under some tall trees for us to explore the park ourselves.
I made my way over to the turtle feeding area. We had all been given fish food for the fish and turtles which had been included in our ticket price. The freshwater turtles clambered over and beside each other to get the fish food. This brought back memories of when my family travelled up to Cairns and stayed at a caravan park in the area. There there were freshwater turtles.
I wandered through the many paths winding through the rainforest of the park and took lots of great photos. Eventually I made my way back to my favourite waterfall with the bridge across it. I sat at a stone bench, marvelled at the view and just listened to the sound of the water cascading down. It was very peaceful. Then I walked up the stairs and crossed the bridge across the waterfall! I had to get my courage up to do this as I’m not a big fan of heights. I walked across the bridge and back again. I left the park awestruck at my experience there.