Paronella Park Night Tour

At 6:15 pm, Paronella Park’s only night tour begins. The tour lasted about an hour before a night musical performance. We were lucky enough to attend and catch the String Family quartet play during their limited residence show.

Darkness Falls Tour

We met at the tour waiting area located behind the ticket counter and gift shop. There, the guides handed everyone flashlights to use while walking the ground in the darkness. Paronella Park offers a shuttle ride for those needing help getting to the lower level, skipping the Grand Staircase.

paronella park night tour castle — Paronella Park offers a night tour called the Darkness Falls. We each were handed a flashlight and met the tour guide in front of the lit up castle.

Our first stop for the night tour was The Castle. Here, our guide spoke of grand events when José Paronella opened the park in 1935. Paronella Park hosted movies, dancing, weddings and was a high-class hangout.

paronella park darkness falls tour — One of the best experiences at Paronella is The Darkness Falls night tour. Starting at dusk, we followed our guide for a one of a kind adventure.

paronella park wishing well — The wishing well was placed near the castle as a way to earn more money.

Children started paying for their ice cream with wet coins from the fountain. José placed eels inside the fountain and claimed it to be electric, which ended the children sneaking out the coins.

paronella park night flashlights — Walking the stairs at night with our mini flashlights.

Lower Level

After descending the Grand Staircase at dusk, we turned toward Mena Creek Falls and saw bright lights beaming through the water. The colorful sky only lasted for several minutes, allowing us to sneak in a few more photographs.

paronella park sunset night tour — During the night tour at Paronella Park, the sky was filled with colors of pink and purples, reflecting off of Mena Creek.

paronella park sunset waterfall — Sun setting behind the spotlighted Mena Falls.

Walking close to the Tunnel of Love, we heard the screeches of bats flying inside. The tunnel isn’t structurally safe to walk through, but we peeked inside using our flashlights.

paronella park tunnel of love — José put his early skills as a miner to good use in creating a pathway through a hill called the Tunnel of Love.

Tucked away in a quiet corner is Teresa Falls. With floodlights shining down, the water sparkles, and colors are brought out of surrounding nature. It is beautiful!

paronella park teresa falls night — Teresa Falls is a small waterfall located near the exit of the Tunnel of Love.

Night Wildlife Encounters

Expect to run into nocturnal creepy crawlies and hear the flapping of bats wings while walking through the rainforest at night. With a flashlight in hand and darkness all around, these creatures add to the experience of this tour.

paronella park wildlife night — The flashlights handed out were not only useful for managing the walkways, but also great to view the surrounding wildlife. This snapping turtle was caught eating prawns.

paronella park spiders — There are many stories about the large spiders in Australia. During the night tour, the spiders come out of hiding in the rainforest and perch along the paths. This furry spider was about the size of a man’s palm…small for native Australians…large for Americans.

paronella park bats — In the trees above the tour group were large bats flapping their wings, flying clumsily, and screeching their calls.

Lower Refreshment Rooms

The grand finale of the night tour is at the magnificently lit Lower Refreshment Rooms area. Marveling at our elegant surroundings, we sat back and remembered everything we learned from touring Paronella Park.

paronella park fountain night — A vision to behold… colored lights specifically targeting features to enhance during the darkness of night.

paronella park red night — The lights change color, varying from reds and oranges, to blues, purples, yellows, and greens. It is beautiful!

The String Family

string family paronella — The String family consists of a husband and wife, along with their son and daughter. After a musical tour in Australia, they fell in love with Paronella Park. Life unfolded in a beautiful way and paved a path to bring inspired original music performed inside Paronella Park during the night tour.

At night, in front of the Lower Refreshment Rooms, the String Family performed an amazing array of classical and original music among the dazzling lights. To discover more about this show, go to The String Family – Paronella Park post.

We highly recommend visiting Paronella Park. I am delighted I stumbled upon this gem and pursued visiting. Pictures and words are not sufficient enough to capture the beauty and magic this park has to offer. Thank you, Paronella Park, for the amazing memories! We can’t wait to go back.

To learn more, visit Paronella Park.

Tips:

Sign up for the night tour when purchasing tickets online. Get your name on the list.
Bring a high quality camera and wear good walking shoes.
The night experience is completely different than the day. Be sure to do both.