Destination guides > Australia > Queensland > Bundaberg region > Childers
Childers
Childers is a pleasant town between Hervey Bay and Bundaberg that dates mostly from 1903, when much of the town was re-built following a disastrous fire that destroyed the town a year earlier.
Many backpackers are more familiar with another tragic fire, which killed 15 backpackers when the Palace Backpackers Hostel burnt down in June 2000. The facade of the old hostel has been restored and it now houses the tourist information centre, an art gallery and a moving memorial to the backpackers who died in the fire.
Although it is an attractive town, most backpackers picking fruit in the region stay in nearby Bundaberg.
Practical information
Childers Tourist Information Centre
Palace Memorial Building, Churchill Street (Bruce Highway), Childers
Tel (07) 4126 3886
Open Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat-Sun 9am-3pm
Coming & going
Greyhound (tel 1300 473 946) and Premier Motor Service stops at the Shell service station on Churchill Street.
Sightseeing, museums & tourist attractions
Flying High Bird Habitat
This 5000 square metre aviary at Apple Tree Creek, north of Childers, allows you to walk among a variety of Australian parrots and finches.
Corner Bruce Highway & Old Creek Road, Apple Tree Creek
Tel (07) 4126 3777
Admission $18
Palace Memorial Building
The re-constructed facade of the building that formerly served as the Palace Hotel, and later as the Palace Backpackers Hostel, houses an art gallery and memorial to the 15 backpackers who lost their lives to the tragic hostel fire of 23 June 2000.
Churchill Street (Bruce Highway), Childers
Tel (07) 4126 3886
Admission free
Open Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat-Sun 9am-3pm
Snakes Down Under
This 1½ hour presentation lets you get up close to a variety of snakes. The show gives you a unique opportunity to handle snakes as well as learn more about these potentially dangerous animals.
51 Lucketts Road, Childers
Tel (07) 4126 1853
Website www.snakesdownunder.com
Admission $18
Open Mon-Tue 9am-3pm, Thu-Sun 9am-3pm; show times 10am, 11.45am, 12.30pm
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