Childers Queensland Australia

Well preserved historic town on the main road between Brisbane and Bundaberg.
Located 325 km north of Brisbane, 60 km north of Maryborough, 52 km south of Bundaberg

Childers is a town which was created and sustained by the sugar cane which grew around it until there were 8 years of drought. The local council, determined to capitalize on the tourist traffic which drove through town without stopping, then embarked on a campaign which has resulted in the title 'Historic Childers - The National Trust Town' and now offers people speeding north to the resorts an ideal place to stop and explore a little of the region's interesting past.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/Queensland/Childers/2005/02/17/1108500202242.html

The area grew slowly as teamsters stopped in the town and the land around was taken up by pastoralists eager to raise cattle on the fertile soil. In 1902 the town was virtually wiped out by a fire which demolished nearly all the buildings on one side of the main street. Those that survived are now the interesting and important buildings in the town.

Childers Pharmaceutical Museum
The centrepieces of Childers charm are the Childers Pharmaceutical Museum and the Olde Butcher Shoppe, both of which are specialist museums where the history of particular trades can be explored.
The Pharmaceutical Museum in the main street (it is also the Tourist Information Office) was originally built in 1894 and retains much of the charm of the late nineteenth century. The shop fittings are made from cedar, there are old leather bound prescription books, mortars and pestles that are works of art and a very early cash register dating back to 1906. The shop is now owned by the local council and it is the centrepiece of the town's regeneration as a tourist destination. There are brochures available which list all the interesting historic buildings in town and for those who really want to know the history of the area there is an excellent book available titled Taming the Isis by B. W. O'Neill.

Olde Butcher Shoppe
Just around the corner from the Federal Hotel (1907) is the Olde Butcher Shoppe which, it is claimed, was the first tiled butcher's shop outside Brisbane when it set up in 1896. The owner is a true enthusiast who happily takes visitors through explaining early butchering techniques and the history of the building which, by luck, managed to escape the disastrous fire of 1902.
Over the road is the Childers Court House (1897) which is a fine and well preserved example of the kind of country Court Houses built throughout Queensland at the turn of the century.
Just up the road is the famous Palace Hotel, the most ornate and ostentatious building in town. It was recently converted into a backpacker destination but in late June, 2000 it was severely damaged by fire. Tragically 15 backpackers were killed in the fire.
Today it is the home of the Childers Information Centre and the Childers Regional Art Gallery upstairs, which is also a memorial to the Backpackers who lost their lives in the fire.

Soldiers Room Memorial
At the Maryborough end of the main street there is the Soldiers Room Memorial a touching memorial to the soldiers from the local area who were killed in all the wars this century. Each soldier is honoured with a bronze plaque and, where possible, a photograph. The images of young men who were killed is tragic and powerful. The building itself was built in 1926 and is designed in the shape of a Maltese Cross.

Historical Complex
Over the road in Taylor Street is the newly established Historical Complex with an impressive sugar cane locomotive imported from England in 1916, a cottage from Isis Central Mill which was once rented out to mill workers for the modest sum of 2 shillings a week, and the old Isis Central Mill School. Both buildings contain interesting collections of local artefacts and memorabilia.

Isis Central Mill
It is possible to visit the Isis Central Mill between July and November at 2.00 pm Mondays-Fridays. Contact the Tourist Information Office or ring the mill on (07) 4126 6166 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (07) 4126 6166      end_of_the_skype_highlighting for more details.