The Old Butchers Shop, one of the many historic buildings in the town.

Childers (including Woodgate)
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 and 108 m above sea level, 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 capitalise 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.

Given the age of the unusual Brazilian Leopard Trees which line the main street it is surprising that people ever drove through the town without so much as a pause of curiosity.

The Childers area was first explored by Europeans in the 1850s. The name of the town of Childers comes either from the village of Childre in Oxfordshire (there are other Oxfordshire names in the area including Didcot, Abingdon and the Isis River) or from the Rt Hon Hugh Childers, Auditor-General of Victoria.

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.

Things to see:  

Childers Pharmaceutical Museum

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.

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 for more details.

Burrum Coast National Park (Introduction)
Burrum Coast National Park (23 100 ha) is an undeveloped wilderness area suited to those interested in bushwalking, nature photography and birdwatching. It has spectacular wildflower displays in the spring and early summer. Good National Parks and Wildlife brochures and maps are available. Access by conventional vehicle is very limited and a 4WD is recommended. There are no developed campsites or facilities. Those choosing to bush camp must be self-sufficient in terms of food, water and medical supplies.

Palm Beach is a delight and the hinterland is characterised by low-lying sandy plains. Species such as beach spinifex, coastal sheoak and the colourful blooms and seeds of climbing guinea flower and coastal jack bean bind the coastal dunes. Immediately behind the dunes are sandy ridges covered by shrublands and low-standing open forests of eucalyptus, vine thickets and wattles. The plains of the hinterland are characterised by shallow soils, out of which grow communities of wallum and heath such as wallum banksia - unusual in Queensland - teatrees and white mahogany. Some rather rare species exist in pockets with deeper soils (including Livistonia palm forests in the Woodgate section, and, in the Kinkuna section, Melaleuca cheelii and the cycad Macrozamia lomindroides). The estuaries of Coonarr and Theodolite Creek in the north, and the Gregory and Burrum Rivers in the south, are lined with red mangrove communities and the Woodgate section also has some swamp environs. Birds are plentiful around these waterways in the early morning.

Loggerhead turtles lay their eggs in nests on the beach from November to April, so be careful where you tread. Other fauna in the park includes a wide range of birdlife, such as the migratory rainbow bee-eater, lizards, snakes and noctural mamals such as sugar gliders, feather-tail gliders, bats and marsupial mice. For further information ring (07) 4126 8810.

Woodgate and the Woodgate Section of Burrum Coast National Park
47 km east of Childers is the seaside resort of Woodgate with its flat 18-km beach which is ideal for fishing and sailing. It is a typical retirement village which is also a popular holiday resort for people wanting to 'get away from it all'. It has a caravan park and other accommodation, petrol and a kiosk.

The Woodgate Section of Burrum Coast National Park extends from the town south to the Burrum River estuary. Access to the Burrum Point campground is 4WD only, although there is an 800-metre circuit boardwalk through a teatree swamp which departs from Acacia St (off Sixth Avenue) in Woodgate. Those wanting to see more can take the 5.2-km Banksia Track which starts from the same spot. It pases from the swamp to Livistonia palm forest, to open forest and on to a wallum heath plain decorated by wildflowers from August to October.

Access to the rest of the Woodgate section is via Walkers Point Rd which can be approached via Twelfth Avenue in the town of Woodgate. Burrum Point campground is located along a side track which runs off Walker Point Rd. It sits behind the beach and is a popular relaxing getaway, with fishing opportunities around the nearby river estuary. The campground has water, cold showers and toilets. It is not a large campground so it is advisable to book ahead for holidays (tel: 07 4126 8810). If a campsite is vacant it is possible to take out (and pay for) a permit from the self-registration station at the campground. No fires are permitted so bring a fuel stove and it is required that visitors take their rubbish out with them (it can be deposited at the Woodgate tip).

Two walking tracks depart from Burrum Point campground. The Melaleuca Track (12.3 km return) passes through wallum heath, mangroves, swamps and saltpans and passes through the Walkers Point Picnic Area before returning to Burrum Point.

The Birdhide Walk (5 km return) leads from Burrum Point to a birdhide at the edge of a small lake where waterbirds can be seen in profusion during the cooler parts of the day.

Walkers Point Picnic Area (at the end of Walkers Point Rd) has wheelchair access, paved areas and tables. There is a boat ramp into the Burrum River estuary nearby and this is a good spot to launch a canoe.

A 4WD track leads from Walkers Point to Hoppy Larks Creek Picnic Area. There is wheelchair access to a viewing platform with a picnic table and to a fishing platform on the Gregory River (note that size limitations and bag limits apply to various species of freshwater and saltwater species).

From Hoppy Larks Creek Picnic Area it is possible to continue driving westwards a short distance along Heidkes Road which leads to the Childers-Woodgate main road at a point 8 km from Woodgate, forming another possible access point, in reverse, to this section of the Park.

Kinkuna Section of Burrum Coast National Park
There are two ways of approaching the Kinkuna Section of Burrum Coast National Park. Both are 4WD only. From Woodgate, head west along the Childers-Woodgate Rd for 3 km then turn right into Whoopi's Rd and follow the signs to Palm Beach. This route is closed off during wet weather due to flooding.

The other approach is to follow the Bundaberg-Goodwood-Childers Rd and turn off into Coonarr Rd at the railway underpass. This intersection is 23 km south of Bundaberg and 40 km north of Childers. Follow Coonarr Rd for 8 km, alongside Elliott River, then turn right, heading south along Palm Beach Rd, and you will come to the park boundary in one kilometre. From this point signs lead to the bush camping areas behind the foredune. Permits must be obtained before setting up camp and these permits are available from the self-registration stations at the camping areas.

	Tourist Information
	Childers Visitors Information Centre 72 Churchill St Childers QLD 4660 Telephone: (07) 4126 3886
	Motels
	Avocado Motor Inn Bruce Hwy Childers QLD 4660 Telephone: (07) 4126 1608 Rating: **1/2
	Childers Gateway Motor Inn Bruce Hwy Childers QLD 4660 Telephone: (07) 4126 1288 Rating: ***1/2
	Motel Childers Bruce Hwy Childers QLD 4660 Telephone: (07) 4126 1177 Rating: ***
	Panda Motel Bruce Hwy Childers QLD 4660 Telephone: (07) 4126 1773 Rating: **1/2
	Hotels
	Apple Tree Creek Hotel Bruce Hwy Childers QLD 4660 Telephone: (07) 4126 1216
	Federal Hotel 72 Churchill St Childers QLD 4660 Telephone: (07) 4126 1438
	Grand Hotel Bruce Hwy Childers QLD 4660 Telephone: (07) 4126 1763
	Hotel Childers Bruce Hwy Childers QLD 4660 Telephone: (07) 4126 1719
	Royal Hotel 6 Randall St Childers QLD 4660 Telephone: (07) 4126 1730
	Caravan Parks
	Sugarbowl Caravan Park Bruce Hwy Childers QLD 4660 Telephone: (07) 4126 1521 Rating: ***
	Restaurants
	Childers Chinese Restaurant 136 Churchill St Childers QLD 4660 Telephone: (07) 4126 1833
	The Old Butchers Shop North St Childers QLD 4660 Telephone: (07) 4126 1899
	Vietnamese Mini Restaurant 108 Churchill St Childers QLD 4660 Telephone: (07) 4126 1144