To find the vertex of the quadratic function \( y = 3(x-4)^2 - 5 \), we can use the vertex form of a parabola, which is given by:
\[ y = a(x - h)^2 + k \]
where \((h, k)\) is the vertex of the parabola.
In the given equation, we can identify \( a = 3 \), \( h = 4 \), and \( k = -5 \).
Thus, the vertex of the parabola is:
\[ (h, k) = (4, -5) \]
So the final answer is:
(4, -5)