1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: Welcomed Aaron Benky's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of I 2 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: Heart Radio and Grim and Mild. Our world is full 3 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, 4 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: all of these amazing tales are right there on display, 5 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet 6 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:39,560 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. The world is enormous. There are places humans 7 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 1: have never laid eyes on, and where modern technology has 8 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: never reached. Though we have charted much of the globe 9 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 1: over the centuries, there was a time when certain areas 10 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: we know today were considered exotic places, where the cultures 11 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: were so different that when someone from one of those 12 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 1: lands stepped foot in the West, they caused quite a stir. 13 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: Enter the man from Formosa during the eighteenth century. His 14 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 1: story was one of mystery and intrigue. He had been 15 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,560 Speaker 1: kidnapped by a French Jesuit from his home in Formosa, 16 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: a country off the coast of China. The missionary had 17 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: whisked him back to Europe to convert him to Catholicism, 18 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:19,040 Speaker 1: but the man from Formosa worshiped the sun and the 19 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: moon instead, so he refused to convert and was jailed 20 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,559 Speaker 1: he escaped before being captured again, then got away once 21 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:30,040 Speaker 1: more and fled to the Netherlands. Dutch soldiers who apprehended 22 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 1: him attempted to convert him to Calvinism instead, but he 23 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:36,839 Speaker 1: continued to resist, and that was, however, until he met 24 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 1: Alexander Innes. It Is was the Scottish priest whose sermons 25 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 1: captivated the man from Formosa. After a short time in 26 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: his successfully converted the young man to Christianity, baptizing him 27 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: with the name George Salmanazar. Of course, he didn't only 28 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: do this out of the kindness of his heart. George 29 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:57,559 Speaker 1: gave in his a unique opportunity to demonstrate his talent 30 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: to the upper ranks within the church. He and brought 31 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: the man to England, where he presented him to the 32 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: Bishop of London, who intruduced him to the rest of 33 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: English high society. George was never truly accepted as one 34 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: of them. He was treated as something to be studied, 35 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: but his status as a curiosity nevertheless made him the 36 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: talk of the town. He was never without an invitation 37 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: to a party or a soiree, speaking in his native 38 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: tongue and regaling folks with stories about Foremosa. He talked 39 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:29,239 Speaker 1: about its capital Extranesta, and how the foremos and men 40 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: didn't work clothes. They just walked around with a plate 41 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: made of gold or silver covering their nether regions. They 42 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:39,080 Speaker 1: also practiced polygamy, but if a wife was ever caught 43 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:42,079 Speaker 1: cheating on her husband, he claimed that their husbands could 44 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: legally eat her as punishment. The tales were fascinating, but 45 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 1: something about George rubbed a few people the wrong way. Well, actually, 46 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 1: there were several things about him that drew questions. For one, 47 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 1: he didn't look like he had come from another land. 48 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: His skin was pale and he had blonde hair. According 49 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:02,640 Speaker 1: to him, that was because he had lived in an 50 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: underground dwelling to avoid the intense heat in the region, 51 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: so he hadn't been exposed to the sun very much. 52 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: There was also his language, which didn't sound like anything 53 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: anyone had ever heard before. It's alphabet was comprised of 54 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 1: only twenty letters and was outlined in a book George 55 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 1: published in seventeen o four describing Formosa and its customs. 56 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 1: The book only made him more popular and even led 57 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:29,760 Speaker 1: him to a job at the University of Oxford lecturing 58 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 1: and translating religious text into formos In. Alexander Innes, however, 59 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: knew the truth about George Salmanazar. He knew everything except 60 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: his real name. George didn't actually hail from Formosa otherwise 61 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: known as modern day Taiwan. He'd been born in France 62 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: around six eighty After literally bumming around Europe as a 63 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: young man, he realized that he could make a pretty 64 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: good living pretending to be from an Asian country and 65 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:01,040 Speaker 1: asking strangers for help in his seen through the ruse 66 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,160 Speaker 1: early on, but went along with it anyway to boost 67 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: his chances at a higher position within the church. After all, 68 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 1: he'd been the one man to convert the mysterious man 69 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: from Formosa to Christianity. Others had their doubts, but nothing 70 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:18,599 Speaker 1: was made official until seventeen o six, when he let 71 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: everyone in on the secret. It got to a point 72 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: where he just couldn't explain away the lies anymore. Despite 73 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 1: his imposture, however, his foremost in alphabet still found its 74 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: way into language texts for at least another hundred years. 75 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:37,599 Speaker 1: George died in seventeen sixty three, after which his final 76 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:41,920 Speaker 1: book was published, Memoirs of Blank commonly known by the 77 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 1: name of George Salmanazar, a reputed native of Formosa, but 78 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:49,839 Speaker 1: he took his real birth name and why he did 79 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,600 Speaker 1: what he did with him to the grave. All he 80 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: left behind was a legacy built on lies mixed with 81 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:13,839 Speaker 1: a pinch of cannibalism. One of the biggest steps in 82 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:17,280 Speaker 1: a couple's relationship is finding their first home. It might 83 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 1: be a small apartment in a big city or a 84 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 1: modest house in the suburbs. No matter the size, however, 85 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:25,239 Speaker 1: it is a place that will be filled with love 86 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,160 Speaker 1: and memories, a home in which to build a life together. 87 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 1: But sometimes the perfect residence doesn't exist. They must be built. 88 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:36,919 Speaker 1: For Jose Paranella, his love for his wife and his 89 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: love for another country lad him to one of the 90 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:43,040 Speaker 1: most beautiful and unique homes ever constructed, with one heck 91 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: of a water feature. Paranella was born in the northeast 92 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:50,160 Speaker 1: of Spain. He spent a lot of his time as 93 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:52,679 Speaker 1: a child with his grandmother, who told him stories about 94 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,480 Speaker 1: Spanish nobility and the beautiful castles they lived in. These 95 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: tales stuck with him as he got older, especially as 96 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:02,719 Speaker 1: he to earn his own money. Jose had a dream 97 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:06,279 Speaker 1: to buy a castle of his own. One day when 98 00:06:06,279 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: he was twenty six, the newly engaged Paranella answered a 99 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,400 Speaker 1: classified ad. It was looking for men to work the 100 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: cane fields in Australia. He saw it as a way 101 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,840 Speaker 1: to build a life for himself and his future wife, so, 102 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:21,719 Speaker 1: leaving his fiance behind, he hopped a boat to Sydney 103 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 1: in July of nine th then migrated north to Queensland 104 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:28,359 Speaker 1: to scope things out. Then he spent the next several 105 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:30,960 Speaker 1: years earning a living tending to the cane fields there, 106 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:35,479 Speaker 1: and he hated it. His hands ached constantly and he 107 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:38,360 Speaker 1: developed blisters. But the more he worked, the more money 108 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,000 Speaker 1: he made, which he squirreled away as he dreamed of 109 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:44,000 Speaker 1: his castle. Eventually he saved up enough to start buying 110 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:46,720 Speaker 1: his own cane farms, which he then built up and 111 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 1: resold for a profit, earning considerable wealth in the process. 112 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: It was during this time when Paranella stumbled upon a 113 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:57,040 Speaker 1: beautiful tract of rainforest near a waterfall that had been 114 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:00,320 Speaker 1: untouched by human hands. He knew that this be where 115 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: he would build his castle, but he couldn't do so 116 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 1: without his fiance by his side, so he returned to Spain, 117 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: only to find that she had married someone else. Refusing 118 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:13,240 Speaker 1: to go back to Australia without a companion, he asked Margharita, 119 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: his ex fiance's younger sister, for her hand in marriage instead. 120 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 1: Margharita agreed, and a year later, in nine, the couple 121 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:25,840 Speaker 1: sailed back to Australia. Parannella then bought the land, waterfall 122 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:29,000 Speaker 1: and all where he planned to build his castle. He 123 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:32,680 Speaker 1: started by installing a grand staircase of forty seven steps 124 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 1: to help him move materials from one level to another. 125 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:38,160 Speaker 1: From there, he constructed a stone cottage for him and 126 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: his bride to live in while he worked on the 127 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 1: rest of the castle. The cottage even had indoor plumbing, 128 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: a first for their part of Australia. Paranella used concrete 129 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 1: made with sand from a nearby river to build the 130 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 1: castle of his dreams, a castle inspired by the ones 131 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 1: his grandmother used to tell him about. It featured a ballroom, 132 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 1: a tower, balconies, twin staircases on each side, and balustrades 133 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 1: along the various edges held up by ornate balusters, again 134 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 1: all made from concrete. There was even a theater inside 135 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 1: the castle, as well as refreshment rooms and an outdoor fountain. 136 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: Around nineteen thirty three, Paranella installed a major upgrade to 137 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:20,200 Speaker 1: his home, a hydro electric plant which got its power 138 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: from the churning water of the falls. Paranella Park, as 139 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:26,680 Speaker 1: it was called, officially opened in nineteen thirty five, too 140 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:31,080 Speaker 1: great to claim. Jose and Margharita hosted many parties, fundraisers, 141 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: and dinners there for local residents, especially the Spanish community 142 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: living in the area. When World War Two brought US 143 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: soldiers to Australia, Paranella Park became a kind of resort 144 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 1: for the troops. They spent their downtime swimming in the 145 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:49,079 Speaker 1: local waters and eating food made by Margharita with homegrown 146 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 1: herbs and vegetables. Unfortunately, the castle had been built on 147 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:57,000 Speaker 1: a precarious location. A railway bridge upstream was destroyed by 148 00:08:57,040 --> 00:08:59,760 Speaker 1: a pile of branches and logs in nineteen forty six, 149 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:04,679 Speaker 1: sending debris crashing down towards Paranella Park. The refreshment rooms, 150 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 1: theater and hydroelectric plants were all damaged in the process, 151 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:12,520 Speaker 1: and even though those rooms were eventually fixed, the following 152 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:16,920 Speaker 1: years brought all kinds of disasters upon the home. Tropical storms, fires, 153 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:19,559 Speaker 1: and floods all took their toll on the house built 154 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: with love by Jose Paranella, who died of cancer. In 155 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:27,600 Speaker 1: his family did their best to keep up the property 156 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:30,439 Speaker 1: well into the nineteen seventies, before finally selling it in 157 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy seven. Two years later, a devastating fire tore 158 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:37,720 Speaker 1: through the park. When it was finally extinguished, only the 159 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:44,440 Speaker 1: concrete structure remained. Everything else, including the interiors, had been destroyed. Today, 160 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 1: Paranella Park stands as a ghostly anomaly in the middle 161 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 1: of the forest. Its stairs and walkways are covered in moss, 162 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:54,520 Speaker 1: as though the environment is slowly trying to reclaim the 163 00:09:54,559 --> 00:09:58,600 Speaker 1: property for itself. It's a testament to human engineering, one 164 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:03,720 Speaker 1: that desperately tried to sis alongside nature and failed. But 165 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 1: it's continued existence is a reminder that hard work and 166 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:10,040 Speaker 1: dedication can pay off, and that a couple's first home 167 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:13,200 Speaker 1: doesn't have to be a cramped one bedroom apartment in 168 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:15,920 Speaker 1: New York. It can be a concrete castle in the 169 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 1: middle of the forest, just waiting for love to turn 170 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:25,720 Speaker 1: it into a home. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided 171 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 1: tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on 172 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:32,200 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting 173 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me 174 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 1: Aaron Manky in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make 175 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:44,359 Speaker 1: another award winning show called Lore which is a podcast, 176 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:47,440 Speaker 1: book series, and television show and you can learn all 177 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:51,000 Speaker 1: about it over at the World of Lore dot com. 178 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:53,520 Speaker 1: And until next time, stay curious.