Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel, Childers, Qld.

            72 Churchill Street, Childers. 

The Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel fire on 23 June 2000 killed 15 backpackers: nine women and six men. The hostel in the town of Childers, Queensland, was popular amongst backpackers from Australia and overseas who undertook seasonal fruit picking work in the area.

After the fire, Bill Trevor, the Isis Shire Mayor, travelled to England and the Netherlands to consult the bereaved families about the memorial proposals. He negotiated to rebuild the Palace in its original early-1900s hotel style.  

The building became an art gallery incorporating a memorial to the 15 backpackers, a 7.7-metre-long glass wall which incorporates pictures from photos of each of the backpackers, designed by Queensland artist Sam Di Mauro.  To date, more than one million people have visited the Palace Memorial Building.

Sydney artist Josonia Palaitis was selected to paint portraits of those killed.  The artist's greatest challenge was to suitably portray the youngsters from the photos of them provided by their families: she managed to arrange them into one large and striking painting entitled “Taking a Break in the Field”,  while maintaining the precise poses of each of the photos. The background was researched by her to be typical of the Isis area fields where they had worked picking crops.  The painting is displayed on a wall adjacent to the glass memorial, and is a poignant tribute to the young lives cut short in the terrible tragedy. 

Behind the building is situated the Palace Motel, which ironically still offers accommodation to backpackers.

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Taken in: Australia / Queensland / Childers (show map)

Taken on: November 30, 2011

Tags:

Palace Backpackers

Childers

Queensland

Australia

hotel

fire

Childers backpacker fire

Bill Trevor

Sam Di Mauro

Josonia Palaitis « less

Sets appears in: • Pubs of Australia

Groups appears in: • Pubs of Australia

Camera: Canon EOS 450D, f/6.3, 1/60 sec, 28mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 450D
Aperture:	f/6.3
Exposure Time:	0.017 sec (1/60)
Focal Length:	28mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Landscape
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Microsoft Windows Live Photo Gallery14.0.8117.416
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