Having started with hardly a blade of grass or guest in sight, the award-winning Childers Eco-lodge is celebrating ten successful years in business.
Rhys and Vanessa Kummerow opened their doors in late October 2013, hoping their property would become a home away from home for hundreds of young working holiday makers.
The couple’s vision was to provide an honest and transparent work placement service for backpackers, coupled with a great accommodation setting to translate into happier and more productive farm workers.
Now Childers Eco-lodge is proud of its reputation as one of the leading working hostels in Australia, with a 5-star rating on Trip Advisor, 4.8-star rating on Google, and most guest referrals being word of mouth.
The purpose-designed and built country backpackers has always maintained a focus on sustainability and integrity and now works with the area’s most respected growers, placing backpackers on their farms.
Rhys and Vanessa said they were satisfied to see their vision come to fruition.
“It has taken a long time to develop relationships with farmers around the area, and we are proud to say that we match backpackers with farms that will treat them fairly,” Rhys said.
Over the past ten years, the Kummerows have worked hard to earn Childers Eco-lodge a reputation for excellence with some big accolades along the way.
These include the Gold Award for New Tourism Development at the 2014 Queensland Tourism Awards, being finalists at the Premier’s Sustainability Awards in 2016, winning Trip Advisor Green Leaders Gold in 2016 as well as a Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence and Booking.com Guest Review awards.
Childers Eco-lodge has also held Eco Tourism Australia Certification as a Nature Tourism Product.
“This solid commitment to environmental sustainability and guest service held the business in good stead weathering a myriad of challenges,” Vanessa said.
All the while the couple added to their own family and their three children now entertain the backpackers, lending a homely touch to their young guests.
“It’s heartening to hear so many backpackers saying that their friend had an amazing time at the Eco-lodge so they really want to come here,” Vanessa said.
“People leave saying they have had a life-changing time at the Eco-lodge and made friends for life”.
“We’ve even had a wedding and a baby from a couple who met whilst here!” Rhys said.
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