By Phil Mercer BBC correspondent in Bundaberg

A vigil has been held in the small Queensland town of Bundaberg for murdered British backpacker Caroline Stuttle.

Floral tributes have been laid at the spot where the 19-year-old's body was found last week.

Police believe she was deliberately thrown from a bridge during a robbery and plunged 10 metres to her death.

It's just so upsetting to think a young girl who's enjoying life in our beautiful city suffers a death such as this.

Kay McDuff Mayor of Bundaberg

Candles have also been lit in memory of the student from York in the park below Bundaberg's Burnett River Bridge where she was attacked.

"May God be with you," read one message. Others expressed the town's sorrow and its sympathy for Caroline's family - "My heart goes out to you all," wrote one well-wisher.

The vigil was organised by a local woman, Helen Anderson. With tears in her eyes and her voice breaking with emotion, she told the BBC that many residents simply needed a focus for their grief.

"I think people need to talk about it.They're just feeling so low, so depressed at the horror of it all," she said. "I think they've wanted to come out and express how they feel."

The Mayor of Bundaberg, Kay McDuff, has written to Caroline's parents expressing her sadness.

"It's just so upsetting to think a young girl who's enjoying life in our beautiful city suffers a death such as this,"she said. "I just feel devastated."

Sugar cane country

Bundaberg lies in the heart of Queensland's sugar cane country, 360 kilometres north of Brisbane.

Young backpackers are attracted by casual work on nearby fruit and vegetable farms. The town lies just inland from the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef.

Some travellers have been too frightened to stay and have moved on. Those who remain are taking extra care.

Karen, 22, and her boyfriend Barry from mid-Wales both feel uneasy.

Local people say they are devastated by Caroline's death

"We'll just have to watch our backs and make sure we stay together," says Barry.

Karen said Australia was beginning to lose its reputation as a care-free holiday destination.

"Everybody said when they've come travelling to Australia that it's a really safe place - but it's not as safe as I thought it was."

Locals have told the BBC that the bridge where Caroline was killed is a notorious no-go area at night. The police dispute this and insist the area has - until this tragic week - been trouble free.

Bad reputation

But a Bundaberg school girl, 14-year-old Nikki, said it had a bad reputation for muggings and assaults. "I wouldn't be walking over there or down near the bridge at all. I hate it."

We will work with tourism partners to try to reassure Britain of the truth - and the truth is that Queensland is a safe destination

Peter Beattie Queensland State Premier

The Queensland government is worried about the impact Caroline's murder will have on the multi-million dollar tourism trade.

The State Premier Peter Beattie is planning a publicity blitz in the UK to reinforce the message that northern Australia is safe for young travellers.

"We will work with tourism partners to try to reassure Britain of the truth - and the truth is that Queensland is a safe destination."

Two years ago, an arson attack at a backpackers hostel killed 15 travellers in Childers - a farming town 50 kilometres from Bundaberg. Among the victims were seven young Britons.

Missing person files remain open on two British tourists who disappeared in mysterious circumstances in Queensland.

27-year-old Celena Bridge vanished on her way to a bird-watching event on the Sunshine Coast in 1998, while David Eason, a 46-year-old art director from London, has not been seen since arriving on Fraser Island in March 2001.