Childers Eco-lodge

Amazing experience staying here for my 88 days, Rhys & Vanessa were so helpful during the 4 months i was there. The lodge was a great place where i met so many amazing people. Jeannie made the experience better by making sure everyone was constantly happy & looked after!

Amazing place to complete your farm work, plenty of nature and all the facilities you will need it. Vanessa and Rhys put lots of effort to make the lodge a cozy place. Highly recommended!!!

This is the perfect place to spend your farm days!
Rhys and vanessa built everything you need too do it.
You have the perfect service agent by the name of jeannie who always bring the good energy and keep this place clean plus you always met amazing people! Just come.

I spent 5 months at the Lodge and absolutely loved it. It quickly became home with the beautiful surroundings, great facilities and the best people. Rhys and Vanessa have put a lot of thought into the place and are always looking for ways to improve. Rhys has good connections with local farmers, finding hourly paid work and is honest about what it available and expected. He is upfront and won't bring people in if there's no work. It has a family feel to it and you can always find a place to relax and watch the animals wondering around or have a cuddle with the dogs. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for farm work

Great place to get your days done in southern Queensland. At the height of the busy season you’ll get a job straight away, hourly paid with plenty of hours - sometimes 60+ if you’re willing to work hard and save. Big open green space, hammocks, cinema room with huge tv, party area which is mostly soundproof, and a gym that is far more equipped than most hotels (closest gym is 45 minutes away in Bundy). Unlike a lot of hostels, where the people can be hit and miss, the people who we shared our 6 months with were absolutely lovely and made the work a lot more enjoyable than it could have been elsewhere. Car not necessary but advantageous as you have to rely on others to get everywhere as the shops are a ten minute drive away. Doing the 88 days is hard at the best of times but in Queensland you won’t find a better spot. Highly recommend!

ahhh The Lodge.
It has such a special place in my heart, I stayed here for 1 year & 2 months in total which I never ever thought would happen when first thinking of doing my farmwork.
The special thing about the Eco Lodge is that it was our home away from home, and by ‘our’ I mean all the 80+ people who were there at the same time as me, because we were all one huge family. Including the owners Rhys & Vanessa, their lovely chirpy kids, the Queen cleaner and life lover Jeannie and doggo Mango.
There is plenty of space in the lodge to chill if you need to, the hammocks, the cinema room, Mexico (basically an outdoor beer garden where you have complete freedom to let off some steam), they have a great gym, and the sunsets are absolutely unreal too.
There is plenty of good work & Rhys and Vanessa will arrange all of this for you, the hourly pay is great and rent is affordable.
I honestly couldn’t recommend this place more!

My girlfriend and I spent about 6 and a half months at the Eco-Lodge, it's been a great experience. It's without a doubt one of the best places to do your farm work and get your days. I did avocado planting/picking and my girlfriend was in a citrus packing shed. Jobs were all hourly rate and our bosses and supervisors were extremely nice. The place is awesome, with great facilities. The owners Rhys and Vanessa and the caretaker Jeannie were always very kind and supportive during our stay. We highly recommend the Eco-Lodge !
Cheers,
Alessio & Sabrina

Excellent place to do the farm work! I was working during one and a half month, I met wonderful people and enjoyed a lot the time there. It is a beautiful hostel equipments with everything, a comfortable kitchen, game room, cinema, a gym and a place for drink and listen music. Rhys and Vanessa are very nice people and always worried about the farm work. On Christmas they prepared a barbiecue for everyone and we spended the day in the beach with their family and Jeannie (a beautiful and funny woman). I definitely recommend this place for farm work!

I completed my 88 days farm work staying at Childers Ecolodge and I can honestly say I had such a great experience! The lodge has such a wonderful atmosphere, with a beautiful hammock area, comfortable dorms and a great social areas. Living there with wonderful like minded backpackers means it is like one giant family. Rhys and Vanessa organised everything so I was able to work on a great farm for the whole time, they made everything very easy which made the experience all the better. The dorms are comfortable and you can really make it like a home for the time you are there.

I can honestly say that I had a great time doing my farm work and a massive part of that was because of the eco lodge it's self. As a solo traveller, I would highly recommend doing your farm work here.

Spent the last 6 weeks staying at Ecolodge, couldn’t recommend this place highly enough. Great atmosphere and good fun, no one enjoys doing farm work but coming back to Ecolodge in the evenings made things a lot better! Facilities were ideal and it’s located just a 10 minute drive from the town.

Owners Rhys and Vanessa were lovely and very accommodating!

There’s a fantastic video on YouTube that you can watch to get a feel for the place!

Thanks again 😀

We had heard horror stories about farm work in Australia, but completing our days the Eco-Lodge was a wonderful experience. Rhys and Vanessa have traveled themselves and aren't out to rip off backpackers - while in high season everyone at the hostel were working hourly wage jobs, and in the low season Rhys will warn you if he only has lower paid piece rate jobs available.

Not only that, the Lodge is a beautiful hostel in itself; it's been equipped with great additions like a cinema room, a games room, a gym etc, and while we were there Rhys was working hard on reinvesting money into building a new outside area with beer fridges!

The Eco-Lodge is a passion project, and is a great place to be. Extra shout to Jeannie too - if you are lucky enough to live here you will meet a true inspiration to all of us!!

This is, without a doubt, the best hostel I've had the pleasure of staying at during my working holiday visa! Rhys and Vanessa are very honest in regards to the farm work available, and have great connections with local farmers. The eco-friendly hostel itself is very clean, set in beautiful surroundings, and has a great 'family' atmosphere. There are lots of activities on offer; from trips to amazing beaches, visits to the local zoo, to watching turtles lay eggs during the summer months (my highlight!).

If you're planning to come here for the farm work on offer, then you'll get your 88 days done in no time! There is always something available for people who take the work seriously, are respectful and hard-working. I did well over 140 days in just a few months.

When I had to suddenly return home at very short notice, Rhys and Vanessa went above and beyond in helping me, even going out of their way to drop me off at the airport! Cheers!!

upon arrival we felt right at home!
the ecolodge is the perfect place to make lots of great friends! We came here because of the good reviews and it did not disappoint!

thanks again Vanessa and rhys for your hospitality and all the help!

and don't forget Jeannie she is a wonderful woman she is an addition to the ecolodge, through her hard work and good humor!

thank you on behalf of, mike and jack

Doing my farm work at the eco lodge has been my best farm work experience in Australia. People are only allowed to come when there’s work available which means you’re guaranteed a job and the property is stunning. There’s so much space to chill and enjoy yourself while you’re not working. I met some of the loveliest people while living one here and wouldn’t hesitate going back if I needed more days done.

The Eco-Lodge is great place to see through your 88 days of farmwork. It’s probably one of the best working hostels (definitely within the Bundaberg region) you could choose. The outside setting creates a peaceful environment & Jeannie makes sure the common areas are always clean. There are more than enough entertainment facilities on offer to keep you occupied when off work. Rhys is very honest when it comes to work (availability, working conditions etc) and has connections with some great farms to work for. Me & my girlfriend stayed here for nearly five months and would definitely recommend it to any backpacker looking for work!

I spent 6 months in Eco Lodge and it was a nice experience.
The owners Rhys and Vanessa were very accommodating the lodge is like a peaceful place. It’s not like other hostels with so many people in. You grow together like a family.
It’s probably the best place to work for your 88 days.

My time in Eco-lodge was awesome. I was there for 7 months and every day was a gift. The people enriched my life and made my time there unforgettable so it quickly became home. This place is the best working hostels and I would go straight back. Kudos to Rhys, Vanessa and Jeannie who managed everything and were passionate about it. Thanks for the great time.

Me and my girlfriend stayed here for around five months to do are farm work to gain our second year visa. I couldn't have been more happy with the Eco lodge. The owners are really great people who genuinely care about the customers that stay with them, Rhys is a top bloke who loves the lodge and helped us out so many times. It is in a amazing location with awsome sunrises and wildlife.

If like me, you don't want to stay in a dirty run down hostel then this is the place for you.

This place is a backpacker's dream come true. I spent a total of 12 months at the eco lodge and every time I've come to visit, it still feels like home. The backpackers here are always such a fun, inclusive, friendly bunch and are very inventive when it comes to making their own entertainment. We've had bingo nights, pub quiz nights, movie nights, and every themed-party you can imagine. Rhys and Vanessa have provided tons of great social spaces including hammocks, a cinema room, games room, billiards, ping pong, BBQ area, as well as a sheltered area for socials, tucked neatly away from the dorms so that others can sleep. Dorm rooms are clean and basically soundproof. Rhys works hard to ensure that you are placed at a reputable farm and all jobs are paid hourly, so no need to worry about sporadic work or soul-destroying piecework. Lots of beach days organised as Woodgate Beach is just a short drive away. Helpful to have a vehicle but the backpacker crew is always organising trips to woolies so you can easily get away without one. 10/10 would recommend!

Eco-Lodge is easily one of the best places to do your 88 days farm work in Aus. Rhys & Vanessa have created a great place to stay as well helping you find farm work as quick as possible. They’re very honest about what farm work is available too, so you know you’re not being messed about.

The Eco-Lodge is clean, friendly & has loads of extras like a gym, cinema room & fire pit. Easily the best hostel in and around Bundaberg!