Images of victims at memorial's heart

The charred Palace hostel has been rebuilt

The Palace youth hostel bears little resemblance to the charred wreck where so many young lives were lost on 23 June two years ago.

It has been a painful pilgrimage for one Welsh family which has travelled 12,000 miles to see the hostel re-open and the memorial unveiled.

Ken Morris, the retired father of 28-year-old Natalie, said he had come to see the places and meet the people his daughter had seen and met in her final days.

Ken Morris: "I feel Natalie's with us"

"We went out to a beach close by which was used by the backpackers," he told the BBC.

"We paddled in the sea, walked along the sand - just thinking Natalie was on these sands and stood in this water.

"It was a lovely feeling but one filled with sadness."

Natalie died alongside her friend, 23-year-old Sarah Williams from Aberfan.

Glass wall

The memorial inside the re-built hostel has drawn universal praise from the victims' families.

A softly-lit glass wall encases images and mementos of the 15 backpackers and their life stories as told by their parents.

Australian artist Josonia Palaitis has also painted a portrait of the young men and women.

A memorial room has been built at the hostel

One man said it was so lifelike he felt he could step in through the frame to grab his son and take him back home.

Ken Morris said his trip to Australia would probably be his last but he insisted it had been a rewarding spiritual experience.

"During the unveiling of the painting I said to my wife, who was naturally crying, 'look at that, Yvonne. Natalie's actually looking at us'.

"I feel she's here with us and that gives me a lot of strength."

Childers is a small farming community 180 miles north of Brisbane.

The main street through the town was closed off to allow the crowds to watch the service on a giant screen.

Attending the ceremony was Australia's deputy Prime Minister John Anderson and the Premier of Queensland, Peter Beattie.

He said the shock felt by most Australians after the bomb attack in Bali had given them some understanding of the suffering inflicted on the families of the Childers backpackers.

Empathy

There has been an intense feeling of trust and empathy between the bereaved families.

The fire killed young travellers from six countries, including Ireland and Holland.

Steve Todd from Hastings in Sussex lost his step-son.

Adam Rowland, 19, was the youngest of the British victims.

His step-father told the BBC his visit to northern Australia has helped to ease the pain.

"It's been and it continues to be a very difficult time. My partner's only son, my step-son, was murdered 12,000 miles from home," he said.

"There's a sense of unreality about it which makes it really easy when you go back home to almost deny it, and part of you is still waiting for him to come back.

Robert Long is appealing his life sentence

"It's been a struggle battling through things like that but we're moving forward."

For many families, the service has been an important part in the healing process but there will be more emotional challenges ahead.

Robert Long, the itinerant fruitpicker convicted earlier this year of starting the fire, is due to begin an appeal in Brisbane's Supreme Court next week.