Hotel Childers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hotel Childers |
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Hotel Childers, 2008
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| Location | 59 Churchill Street, Childers, Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | c. 1895 - 1930s |
| Official name: Hotel Childers, Queen's Hotel | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600614 |
| Significant period | 1890s, 1900s, 1930s (fabric) c. 1895-ongoing (historical use) |
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The Hotel Childers is a historic building located at 59 Churchill Street in Childers, Australia. It was built in stages, starting around 1895 and continuing into the 1930s. This hotel was once known as the Queen's Hotel. It is now listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, which means it's an important part of Queensland's history and is protected.
Contents
A Look Back: The Hotel's Story
The Hotel Childers was one of many hotels built to serve the growing town of Childers. This town became very busy and successful in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
How Childers Grew
In the 1870s, a thick forest called the Isis Scrub was cleared. People from Maryborough saw the potential for farming in this area. In 1882, the land around what is now Childers was divided into farm blocks.
The town of Childers really started to grow when the Isis railway line opened in 1887. This railway helped transport timber from the forest. It also led to the start of the sugar industry in the area.
The Sugar Boom and More Hotels
By the late 1880s, growing sugar cane became very important in the Isis district. Large sugar mills were built, attracting many people to the area. Between 1891 and 1900, the population of Childers jumped from 91 to 4000 people!
With so many people, especially seasonal workers in the sugar industry, Childers needed more places for people to stay. This led to many hotels being built.
- In 1894, Elijah Kirby bought land for a hotel.
- In 1895, he likely used a loan to build his single-storey timber hotel.
- It had a verandah (a covered porch) along the front and side.
- He named it the Queen's Hotel.
At this time, Childers already had several other hotels, like the Isis, BelleVue, and Royal. The Palace Hotel was built in 1897, and the large, two-storey brick Grand Hotel was built in 1899.
The Great Fire and Rebuilding
In 1902, a terrible fire destroyed most of the buildings on the main street of Childers. The Grand Hotel was one of the few buildings that survived. After the fire, the town centre was rebuilt with new, stylish brick buildings. These new buildings showed how successful Childers had become.
Changes to the Hotel
The Queen's Hotel had many different people running it over the years. By the early 1900s, most other hotels in Childers were two storeys tall. It's believed that the Queen's Hotel was also rebuilt to add a second floor.
The hotel had a big makeover in the 1930s. Many of the wooden details and decorations inside the hotel were added around this time. In 1939, the hotel's name was officially changed to the Hotel Childers.
For many years, the upper verandah was closed in. However, in 2000, it was rebuilt to look like its original open design. The ground floor has also been updated, but many of the original features are still there.
What the Hotel Looks Like
The Hotel Childers is a two-storey building. It has a balcony on the upper level that hangs over Churchill Street, the main street of Childers. It sits between the National Australia Bank and the Childers RSL Club.
Inside the Hotel
The ground floor is made of timber boards. It has a bar, a billiard room, a lounge, and kitchens. You can see details from the 1930s inside, like:
- A painted timber staircase.
- Special rails for plates on the walls.
- Moulded ceilings.
- Timber and glass doors with old-fashioned door handles.
The upper floor has walls covered with fibrous plaster sheeting. It has large balconies at the front and back. The front balcony has a timber railing. The back balcony has been enclosed with fibrous plaster sheeting and glass louvres (slanted slats that let air in).
This upper floor has a big central hall. Corridors lead off to the sides, where you can find the owner's apartment and guest bedrooms. Some of the guest bedrooms open onto the front balcony. There are also bathrooms on the back verandah. The walls are made of vertical timber boards, and the ceilings have fibrous sheeting and battens (thin strips of wood).
The roofs of the hotel are covered with modern metal sheeting. Behind the hotel, there's a beer garden and an entertainment area.
Why Hotel Childers is Important
The Hotel Childers was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. This means it meets certain important standards.
Showing Queensland's History
The Hotel Childers is one of several hotels that show how quickly Childers grew in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The number and size of hotels in a town often showed how successful that town was. This hotel helps us understand the amazing growth in the Isis region when Childers became a thriving centre for sugar cane farming.
Beautiful Design
The Hotel Childers is a noticeable building on the main street. It adds to the attractive and well-designed look of Childers town centre.
Important to the Community
The Hotel Childers has a strong connection with the Childers community. As a public building, it has been a part of the town's social life and entertainment for most of the 20th century.
