I slept in a 100-square-foot tiny home in the heart of an overgrown rainforest, and it was the most unusual place I've slept

If I was going to travel nearly 9,000 miles from my Colorado home to Australia, there were a few adventures I was intent on having.

I wanted to sip a spritzer at the famous Bondi Icebergs restaurant overlooking Sydney's iconic pool and beach.

I wanted to dive into the Great Barrier Reef and swim amongst sharks, sea turtles, and fish.

Read more: I went on a sailboat in the Great Barrier Reef that calls itself a floating hostel. I slept terribly but it was the best $300 I spent in Australia.

2023-01-15

And after I discovered Queensland's Paronella Park on the travel website Atlas Obscura, I knew I wanted to explore its abandoned, overgrown castle.

Source: Atlas Obscura, Paronella Park

As someone fascinated by abandoned places, its cement structures, coated in years' worth of vibrant, green lichen, immediately intrigued me.

Source: Atlas Obscura

Read more: I've explored 13 ghost towns around the world. Here are 9 of the spookiest things I've encountered.

As I dug deeper into what Paronella Park offered, I learned it's also home to six rentable tiny homes.

Source: Atlas Obscura, Paronella Park

Since tiny homes have gradually become my favorite accommodation style, Paronella Park seemed to be the fusion of two things I love: ghost towns and tiny living.

Read more: I'm a travel reporter who has slept in dozens of places. Take a look inside the most magical tiny house I've ever stayed in.

So the park was a must on my 10-day Australia itinerary.

Before arriving in July, I booked a day tour, a night tour, and a stay at one of the tiny houses. Together, the trip cost $155 AUD, or $107 USD.

I arrived before check-in with plenty of time for a guided property tour. Unlike most of the abandoned places I've visited, Paronella Park was bustling with people.

A guide took a group of about 25 around the half-dozen structures that fill the 13-acre property and shared the story of the park's founder, José Paronella, who purchased it in 1929.

Over several years, he built a public attraction with swimming pools, a ballroom, tennis courts, and a castle, which opened in 1935.

But just a decade after it opened, floods destroyed part of the park in 1946. José and his family rebuilt, but tragedy struck again when José died in 1948.

Source: Paronella Park

After José's death, Paronella Park, which remained in his family for three decades, continued to suffer. Floods, a fire, and cyclones struck the region over the years.

Source: Paronella Park, Getty

In 1977, José's family sold Paronella Park, and it closed shortly after, the tour guide told the group.

Soon after Mark and Judy Evans learned about the overgrown lot and its fascinating history in 1993, the guide said the couple purchased it, spent a few intense months restoring it, and reopened it for the public.

Today, they continue to maintain and restore Paronella Park, my tour guide said.

Once the tour was over, I was free to roam the property. As the crowds dispersed into the rainforest, an eerie sensation crept up.

I wondered what could be around every corner of the forest. Would I run into a crocodile at the water's edge? What details might I find in the cement structure that used to hold dance parties in the 1930s?

But Paronella Park also felt magical. I envisioned the life and excitement that once filled the property, and it all happening in the middle of a lush rainforest felt otherworldly.

Once I explored every nook and cranny of the park, I picked up the keys to my tiny house.

About a two-minute walk from the park's entrance is an RV park, and along one gravel road are the six tiny home rentals.

I was in cabin three for the night. I climbed up four steps onto the home's covered porch.

Then, I unlocked the door and stepped inside the 100-square-foot tiny house.

The one-room space was simple. To the left was a queen-size mattress. Sandwiching the bed were nightstands, lamps, and outlets.

Across from the bed was a mini fridge, TV, kettle, AC unit, and storage space with extra pillows and blankets.

There wasn't a bathroom in the cabin. Instead, there was a communal restroom within walking distance from the tiny house. It had toilets, showers, and sinks shared by the entire RV park.

Nearby, I also found a covered picnic area, a washer, and a few shared kitchen appliances for cooking.

The tiny house had everything I needed for a night. There was AC to keep me cool, coffee to energize me in the morning, and a comfy bed to fall asleep in.

I spent most of my time relaxing on my cabin's covered porch. From the patio chairs, I had views looking straight into the rainforest José planted when he first purchased the property.

As I sat and listened to the sounds of the rainforest, I thought the tiny house was the ideal place to rest after exploring. And there was plenty to explore.

Just a few hundred feet away was an unparalleled setting filled with magical structures, Australian critters, and captivating history.

As the sun set, I walked to the nearby Mena Creek Hotel for dinner. The hotel had a pub, where I dined on fried salt-and-pepper calamari.

Read more: From fairy bread to meat pies, I ate my way through Australia on my first visit. Here are 9 things I tried — all but one have me wanting seconds.

At 8 p.m., it was time for Paronella Park's night tour, which was included in the $55 AUD, or $38 USD, entrance fee.

Post-tour, we were once again free to roam the jungle. With fewer people in the dark rainforest, I found nighttime even spookier than daytime.

I admired the silhouettes of structures and the sound of the nearby creek.

Without anyone else around, I imagined myself dancing under the disco ball in the 1930s and wondered what life would've been like back then.

Exhausted from the day of exploring, I headed back to my tiny house. I crawled into bed, where my dreams of 1930s Australia continued.

I was thankful that Judy and Mark Evans restored the park so José's dreams could live on, and I was even more thankful that I could catch a glimpse into those fantasies.