South Mission Beach Qld July 30 - August 3 2018

I won't trouble you with endless photos of the beach at South Mission Beach, it's unremarkable except for the fact that its very flat and protected from the ocean by the Barrier Reef and Dunk Island. I will put in a picture of Luggers Beach, which is the very next one south, accessible only by a 1.2km walk, first on an easy boardwalk and then on a bit of a rough track around and over the headland. It's backed by National Park and is very clean and very quiet.

Mission Beach, why is it so?

Luggers Beach, South Mission Qld

No, instead I will regale you with our two major tourist things we did: Paronella Park and Charleys Chocolate Factory

Paronella Park was established by Jose Paronella, A Spaniard who came to Australia in 1913, worked hard cutting cane and doing land deals and making his fortune. He had a dream: he wanted a castle, just like they have in Spain. So in 1929 he bought 13 acres of scrub on the edge of Mena Creek and set about creating what was/is essentially a theme park. It enjoyed great patronage until they diverted the Bruce Highway away from its front door, was flooded out twice and Jose died. Following many years of abandonment, cyclones, fires, bad management and the like, it came into the hands of the Evans Family, who have cleaned it up, preserved it and who now have possibly the #1 tourist attraction in Queensland. The dodgy old buildings have been made safe and preserved, not restored. The grounds have been tidied up and revegetated after the cyclones. It's a nice place to come and spend a few hours, take the guided tour/history lesson and wander about wondering just what it must have been like in its heyday.

Paronella Park, Mena Creek Qld

The major 'palace' and theatre. Paronella Park, Mena Creek Qld

One of many fountains. Paronella Park, Mena Creek Qld

Random castellations on a palace. Paronella Park, Mena Creek Qld

Avenue of 100 yo Qld Kauri trees. Paronella Park, Mena Creek Qld

One of some 120 picnic tables and chairs. Paronella Park, Mena Creek Qld

Mena Falls, on the right is the hydro electricity tower (1937). Paronella Park, Mena Creek Qld 

Gardens. Paronella Park, Mena Creek Qld

Mena Falls. Paronella Park, Mena Creek Qld

Charley's chocolate farm and factory is something a bit different. It was started by an older couple from Melbourne, who had taken the fabled 'tree-change', bought a property, started running cattle and ended up establishing a cacao tree farm. It's quite a remarkable venture: having worked out how to get seeds, they then had to work out how to grow them, adapt them to full on sunlight, prevent the native rats and caterpillars from eating them, cyclones ripping them out and on and on. They then set about working out how to harvest the beans, open them, ferment, dry, split, crush, grind etc etc them until they could make chocolate. Anyhow they have persevered and in 2017 were awarded a medal as being in the top 18 best cocoas in the world at the big chocolate contest in Paris. They are rightly proud and pleased with their efforts. They give a 2 1/2 hour history lesson and tour and tell you all about the 'tree to the (chocolate) bar' story. Very interesting. And then they provide a tasting of various beans or 'nibs' as they are called and then the chocolate, before serving a tasty hamburger lunch. They have a longer term vision of creating 'The Chocolate Centre', a proper tourist facility to rival the best in Australia. Good luck to them.

4000 cocoa trees, grown from seeds, are jammed in here to acclimatise.
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

Cocoa trees grown on trellises, to stop them being blown away by cyclones.
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Ql 

Windbreak trees imported from Hawaii
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

The tiniest flower, pollinated  by the local midges, is the start of the story
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

Cacao seed pods, purple
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

Cacao seed pods, yellow and green (makes no difference to the product)
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

The tour group settling in for the Chocolate story
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

Take a cacao pod
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

Work out how to open them, not using a machette. Were after the little brown seed, the white stuff is cocoa butter
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

Put all the seeds into this old timber  box, let them ferment until they are  at 47.5 degrees
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

Put the mash out in the sun to dry for a few days and voila, cocoa seeds
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

Bust the seeds open, get rid of the husks, keep these little brown bits called nibs
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

Give them to the nice lady inside this kitchen (a converted shipping container) where they are turned into chocolate

Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

Mt Edna cocoa tasting plate
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

Take a chance, send them to the Expo in Paris and reap the plaudits
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

Final product, available on at the factory outlet or on-the-line
Charleys Chocolates, Mission Beach Qld

Oh, and in case your wondering, the name Charley has nothing to do with that Wonka mob, it was named after John Steinbeck's dog Charley, a chocolate poodle....