CHILDERS Childers are another of those mid-size towns that displays an enormous amount of civic pride. Childers proudly display its rich and long term history. Many buildings carry heritage status and the monument to the Kanaks also demonstrates an acknowledgment to the ‘slave’ period. The ‘old’ buildings are preserved, three museums in the main street and the Childers War Memorial is a tribute to the fallen that has few peers. The sugar cane industry features prominently in Childers and has sustained the town over the years. Fruit and vegetable cropping is common on the lands around town. Tourism is a growing industry in Childers, with a number of the preserved historic buildings in town becoming tourist attractions. In June 2000, Childers, as a community confronted a horrific event that through fire, an old timber building and the stuff that will forever remain inexplicable, a very tragic event where 13 Backpackers died. The 10th anniversary of the ‘Childers Tragedy’ is being acknowledged in just over a week. (Written on the 9th June 2010). The hostel reopened in 2004, and includes a memorial, that is sensitively executed and displayed, to those young people that were lost in the blaze. It now acts as an art gallery exhibiting works from local artists. The Hotels are both vintage and classic. The Churches in Childers are represented with mid century transition buildings.  The community pride is such that when traveling to (not through) Childers, be sure to ensure this is a stopover destination. This place has a lot going for it. Heritage diary