As we meandered along the main street of Childers, admiring the facades and interiors of its old buildings and immersing ourselves in the tales and symbolism of the footpath mosaics and the street art, we could not help but think about the indelible stain with which this charming town has been tainted by one senseless act violence. Like South Australia's Truro and Snowtown, isolated past events of extraordinary degradation and horror somehow become inextricably linked in the minds of some with the present. Denial or over-reactive attempts to rationalise the facts can become the norm.
Let me briefly revisit the events of 23 June 2002. At about 0100 hours that morning, Robert Paul Long, a Childers local who had developed a hatred for backpacker fruit pickers, set fire to the Palace Backpackers Hostel. The predominately wooden building was ablaze in moments. No fire alarms were fitted and in the ensuing inferno fifteen innocent youngsters, twelve from overseas, were trapped and perished in the flames.
Long was later cornered by police in his bush hide-out. In the course of his arrest he slashed a police officer on the chin with a knife he was carrying and stabbed one of the police dogs. He is indeed a violent man, now convicted of murder and serving a life sentence.
Long was later cornered by police in his bush hide-out. In the course of his arrest he slashed a police officer on the chin with a knife he was carrying and stabbed one of the police dogs. He is indeed a violent man, now convicted of murder and serving a life sentence.
As this photo, courtesy 'The Age' shows, The Palace was completely gutted, as were good folk of Childers.
But there is no point in attempting to airbrush events such as these from history. And here in Childers that is exactly how the town fathers reacted. The Palace Hotel has been rebuilt and restored to its original grandeur. A memorial to those who died has been established inside. The local mayor at the time was incredibly active in all of this. Amongst other things, he travelled overseas and personally visited the parents and relatives of those killed.
Perhaps most poignantly, the memory of those who lost their lives has been preserved for posterity in the form of this portrait painted by Sydney artist Josonia Palaitis. 'Taking a Break' was created with the blessing of the victims' relatives who provided photos from which the images were committed to canvas.
The artist has been quoted as saying that "this was the most technically challenging and emotionally charged portrait I've ever undertaken". I think the result speaks for itself.
But let's move on. There is much more to the history of Childers than this wretched event, and some of it is quite odd. Like it's very name, for example. The Childers area was first settled by Europeans in the 1850's and most pundits posit that it derived its moniker from that of Hugh Childers, the Auditor-General of Victoria at that time. Other luminaries argue it is a derivation of the English town of 'Childre'. I struggle to understand why a Victorian official of but moderate influence (with absolutely nothing to do with Queensland) would be honoured in this way, but what would I know?
Whatever the origins of its name, this charming town of some 1,500 souls, lies along a ridge line amongst rolling hills of rich, volcanic soil, ideal for growing sugar cane, fruit and vegetables. This was recognised from the outset, and the first sugar crush took place at a local mill in 1897.
Whatever the origins of its name, this charming town of some 1,500 souls, lies along a ridge line amongst rolling hills of rich, volcanic soil, ideal for growing sugar cane, fruit and vegetables. This was recognised from the outset, and the first sugar crush took place at a local mill in 1897.
From slow beginnings, Childers blossomed after the establishment of a rail head in the town in 1887. This service continued until closed by the Queensland Government in 1964, but the town has continued to flourish. Expanding cane fields, orchards and market gardens have been augmented by a local wine industry, and of course, tourism remains an important part of the Childers economy.
Childers is currently listed as a National Trust town. There are twenty seven specified heritage sites within the town boundary. We set out to see some of them, although I have to admit we did not deliberately engage in an 'historic walk' as such.
We decided to park the Cruiser under the shade of the Leopard trees at the northern end of town. Stands of this particular tree, otherwise know as Brazilian Hardwood, is a feature of the Childers streetscape (it is tough, fast growing, and can survive on limited water...a good choice!)
At this decidedly 'non-heritage' end of the main drag we found a local shopping centre. Nothing special about that, I hear you mutter, and you are right. But here I had the chance to again indulge my passion for witty, funny or just plain silly signs.
Well done to the owners of this local laundromat....may all who use it leave with their washed socks in pairs!
Enough whimsy...we had some serious sightseeing to do. Childers is bisected by the Bruce Highway, renamed Churchill Street where it traverses the central business area. We headed off south into the main section of the town,
where the Leopard trees began to take a much more prominent place in the scene.
Our tramp took us past the old fire station building (this would have been the scene of much activity in the town's early days....like so many Queensland towns, fire was almost a way of life here.... in 1902 much of the Childers CBD was destroyed in this manner)
and the very colourful Mammino's ice cream shop, which, to my utter amazement, Liz by-passed without a second glance...on the outward leg of our jaunt that is!
As you would expect, with no heavy vehicle detour around the town, or an alternative route of any sort really, traffic through the centre of Childers is constantly heavy as large transports shoulder their way through the CBD in unrelenting numbers. Some drivers even recognise the speed limit!
To prevent utter chaos and to allow those shopping some degree of safety and comfort, secondary roads parallel the main highway through the commercial section of the CBD....a very sensible move.
It is here that the real historic Childers is to be found, including the restored Palace.
At the northern end of this side of Churchill Street, the Grand Hotel assumes pride of place.
Amongst all we noted about Childers, one standout fact was that here is a town in which an un-quenched thirst would not be for lack of pubs. Directly opposite The Grand, The Federal hotel dominates the corner.
I did take the opportunity whilst passing to snap the entrance passageway and staircase of this fine old building but that was not what really caught our attention.
As we wandered down the side street, past the 'bottle-o' which brought back memories of Karumba and Normanton with its restricted access and mesh security surrounds,
we were more than taken by the beautiful iron lattice work which forms the balcony balustrade. And then we took a closer look....it appears that this pub even boasts a rooftop deck, complete with flagstaff!
This was not to be our only surprise in this street. It did not come in the form of the 'Old Butcher Shop' next to the pub, in which fine viands have clearly not been displayed or dispensed for some time,
but rather the building of the Queensland Ambulance Service which stands opposite. Now I grant you there is nothing too odd looking about this facade........
until one takes in the side view from the other footpath. What happened to the rest of the building???
Beyond this architectural mystery stands the somewhat isolated Royal Hotel, one we suspect caters very much for the locals, well away from the bustle of Churchill Street.
Moving right along with the mystery of the 'ambos' HQ' still niggling, we backtracked slightly to find the building of the Paragon Theatre right next to the Federal Hotel.
Here 'historical' gives way to art deco, well at least at the front of house coffee bar.
On this same side of the street we also found the (comparatively) bland Childers Court House building
and its neighbour, the anything but bland Childers Post Office where the wares of the attached 'Heritage Gift Shop' vie with the sale of stamps for visitor attention. Could this be the way to save Australia Post from any more increases to the already inflated cost of a stamp?
In the opening to this missive, I made mention of the footpath art. We first noticed this under the verandah of the Grand Hotel, where we had to dodge these two metal mutts, cast forever in a pose of play (or a scrap, I could not be sure).
Here, even the barrier which separates those on foot from those behind the wheel, is anything but unadorned.
Underfoot, our passage along this section of Churchill Street was a voyage of discovery. Mosaics such as this provide an artistic diversion for those taking a breather on the street benches
or a fascinating backdrop (footdrop??) for the many pieces of the street art which line the shopfronts, some of an esoteric nature such as this,
others more readily recognisable for what they are (the photo angle is a shocker....mea culpa....it's a bird with outspread wings perched on a rock which I've very cleverly managed to merge into the vehicular background).
I was completely captivated by all of this, and as so often happens in the course of our travels, I've had to be ruthless in my editing when it comes to the street art of Childers. Our camera almost had a melt-down.
But I cannot leave this subject without one last shot. Now I'm not sure if this vehicular oddity can be classed as 'street art'. It certainly qualifies for the 'street' bit, but could we possibly classify its owner as artistic? Let's settle for eccentric shall we?
The predelictions of many who arrive in this town on a seasonal basis to harvest the fruit and veggies grown here, are reflected in the offerings on display in this shop,
and we could but marvel at the size of the layer cakes and sponge rolls displayed in the window of the bakery.
Rather than bore you all, dear readers, with a constant parade of premises normal to any shopping precinct, let me transport you instantly to the other end of the CBD, past another of the town's pubs, the imaginatively named and comparatively modest 'Hotel Childers'.
At the southern end of Churchill Street the decidedly 'non-heritage' building of the Isis Club abuts the local bowling greens.
This caught my eye for reasons other than esthetic. A sign on the front wall proclaimed the Sunday buffet.....all one can eat for $13.50! Damn. It was Saturday, and on the morrow we would be long gone.
On the corner opposite the club those who may have committed the sin of gluttony (as I surely would have given the chance), or any other spiritual misdemeanours, can seek solace within the imposing Catholic Church. I have taken but a fleeting shot of this fine building. As we strolled by it was obvious that a funeral was in progress and I was loathe to intrude (even my quest for pictorial additions to my text has some limits, albeit not many!)
On the next corner Childers' history again comes to the fore, this time in the form of the 'Childers Historical Complex'.
On the next corner Childers' history again comes to the fore, this time in the form of the 'Childers Historical Complex'.
And here I'm afraid critical honesty demands something of a brickbat. I was expecting much more, perhaps having been spoilt by places such as Herberton.
There are a few 'old' buildings on display
some of which are clearly older than others, but they are very few in number and of limited interest.
The highlight for me were these old cane trains
where a nearby sign showed that good old 'number four', the smaller of the two, had well and truly outperformed its larger fellow puffing billy, in terms of longevity if nothing else.
By now we had been on our feet for some time, but there was still more to see a this end of Childers. Immediately adjacent to the Historical Complex, this massive tree
towers over the entrance to the Fig Tree Cafe, famous not only for its coffee, but also its fine fudge. I was amazed that my hiking companion, (known universally for her 'chocolate tooth') 'walked on by' rather than 'walked in to buy'!!
And speaking of purchases in swinging downtown Childers, this emporium stocks just what every household needs.
I mean to say, what is a front garden setting without a huge elephant or snarling dinosaur? We did wonder if this may have been a Clive Palmer Coolum resort clearing house!
A little further north along this same side of the road is the large building which is home to the Isis Regional Council, where the bulk of the old town water tower unfortunately detracts somewhat from the style of the architecture.
And here, in the courtyard at the northern end of the building we came across a wonderful memorial to those who have served. These black walls, fringed along the bottom with red poppies, carry the stories of many of the local lads who signed up for the 'great adventure'. Many paid dearly for it.
What is not so immediately obvious is the significance of this extraordinary cannon which takes pride of place in the courtyard around which the story walls stand.
This is a German 210mm Howitzer, captured by the members of the AIF in Flanders during WW1. It was presented to the Australian Government by the French after the war. This was one of many such trophies which made their way to this country. What to do with them all, was the question. Well, let's form a committee to deal with it.....and so the 'Australian War Trophy Committee' was born.
In 1921 this august body distributed all the loot throughout the country, but there was a strict protocol attached to this process. These prizes were allocated to various districts on the basis of the numbers who had enlisted.....the flower of the Isis district youth had volunteered in droves.....Childers was only one of two Queensland towns to be honoured with a trophy, and we were now gazing on the big black brute of a thing.
This was a mean gun. When in action, this canon could hurl a 'short shell' over 10,000 yards, and when loaded with the longer version, our lads were not safe under a distance of over 11,000 yards. It probably goes without saying that when these projectiles landed, they made a bloody big hole....in everything. What a wretched place the Western Front must have been.
This was a mean gun. When in action, this canon could hurl a 'short shell' over 10,000 yards, and when loaded with the longer version, our lads were not safe under a distance of over 11,000 yards. It probably goes without saying that when these projectiles landed, they made a bloody big hole....in everything. What a wretched place the Western Front must have been.
beyond which we came to the unsurprisingly large home of the Childers RSL.
Chalkboard notices on the front verandah again served to remind us that we were here on the wrong day, a Saturday. There would be no chance of a raffled chook or meat tray gracing the Marshies' pantry on this visit!
The Isis Club and its offer of the $13.50 and all one can eat Sunday buffet is just across the road. I walked on past the RSL resolved to return to Childers....but this time on a Sunday!
the footpath of Churchill Street is again graced with outdoor art in a courtyard which leads on to a small park with public picnic seating and other essential facilities (read loos).
This had brought us back to the Post Office and the end of our ramble up and back along the 'historical' section Churchill Street. As we made our way back to the Cruiser's parking lot, the streetscape took on a much more modern look in the form of the Motel Childers (including a Chinese Restaurant, of course)
and the surprisingly non-invasive building on which the unmistakable badge of the 'three arches' proclaimed this as yet another palace for the diet conscious.
We found the delightfully quaint local pizza place tucked away as it is at the end of this gravel driveway, a far more appealing prospect, both visually and for what it offered by way of product.
And whilst on the subject of food....fast, fancy or flavoursome, we were soon back at the highly colourful retail outlet of the famous Mammino Icecreamery.
She had resisted the lures of the Fig Tree fudge, but here the door could not open quickly enough for the 'ice cream queen'.
Getting inside is one thing, making a choice from the bewildering range of flavours is quite another. The lass behind the counter has obviously seen it all before...she was a study of patience.
At last, a decision was made and the prize held high. "Share? How long have you known me?" But her hard heart softened along with the icecream....I did manage a small nibble. And the verdict? Interesting, but somewhat overrated!
past the caravan of the Childers peanut vendor (we thought for a moment we were back in Kingaroy)
and renewed our acquaintance with our mechanical transport. This had been a long and rewarding stroll. We remain unclear as to exactly how many of Childers' twenty seven heritage listed buildings we had actually crossed off the list, but no matter, we had certainly come to accept the proposition that this is town of real charm, one which should be visited and admired for so much more than the one murderous incident for which it is most broadly remembered.
We are fully resolved to make a return visit to both the Childers Tourist Park and Camp and the town......but on a Sunday!
We are fully resolved to make a return visit to both the Childers Tourist Park and Camp and the town......but on a Sunday!
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