Childers

New Zealander Tia Pou had Childers in her travel plans and the Palace Backpackers Hostel was where she wanted to stay. And when she got there, it was everything she anticipated, until things took a sudden, unexpected twist. But what happened in Childers was just the start of her horrifying ordeal. Written and produced by Paul Cochrane Original music, sound design & editing by Zoltan Fecso Supp...

It took Jessica Wiegand 8 months waitressing in a London restaurant to earn enough money to get her visa for Australia. And when she arrived it was everything she hoped for. Travel and sightseeing. She headed north to spend a few weeks working on the farms in Childers and had just started to make new acquaintances when her world was turned upside down. Written and produced by Paul Cochrane Origina...

As a young man, Ken Morris dreamed of packing up and leaving Wales to take up life in Australia. It didn't quite pan out that way. So when his youngest daughter Natalie and her friends set their sights on a working holiday down under, he fully supported her fulfilling her dreams. But it would be the start of a recurring nightmare that changed his family forever. Written and produced by Paul Cochra...

Sarah Mahoney headed to Childers seeking new adventures while she waited on the outcome of job and education prospects. She figured a few weeks picking on the local small crop farms and earning a few dollars would be valuable life experience. She could never have anticipated how quickly those plans would change. Written and produced by Paul Cochrane Original music, sound design & editing by Zo...

It's just after midnight. June 23, 2000. Fire station officer in charge Curl Santacaterina is fast asleep when he's paged to attend a job a few streets away from his Childers home. His crew, which includes Hayden Whittaker, is about to attend the biggest job of their careers. A fire which would forever change the small Queensland highway town, its residents and the lives of everyone staying at the...

On June 23, 2000, the Palace Backpackers Hostel in Childers was set alight while its guests slept. It was the worst arson attack in Queensland history. The perpetrator, Robert Long, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on arson and two counts of murder. 15 people were killed. 69 managed to escape but their lives would never be the same. This is the full story of the miraculous tales of escape, brav...