Childers
A sugarcane town on the Bruce Highway whose main street keeps late-19th-century shopfronts with iron awnings, plus a historic pharmacy museum and a backpacker memorial worth visiting.
Childers is a heritage town about 45 km southwest of Bundaberg, surrounded by cane fields and orchards. Churchill Street, the main street, is lined with shops, banks and hotels from the late 1800s and early 1900s, featuring timber carvings and iron awnings. The whole street is listed as heritage. The Old Pharmacy Museum preserves medicine cabinets and bottles from a century ago. The Memorial Hall is a memorial to the victims of the 2000 Palace Backpackers hostel fire, and it also houses an art gallery. Nearby, Snakes Downunder is worth a stop. Childers is well suited to a half-day break on the drive between Bundaberg and Hervey Bay.
Opening hours
Open all day (shops and museums open during the day)
Nearby sights
- Snakes Downunder Reptile Park & Zoo
- Woodgate Beach & Burrum Coast National Park
- Alexandra Park Zoo
- Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery
- Elliott Heads
- Bundaberg Botanic Gardens
- Hinkler Hall of Aviation
- Bundaberg Rum Distillery