South African Tiaan Kannemeyer won the third stage of the Tour of Queensland cycle race, as Canadian veteran Eric Wohlberg reclaimed the leader's yellow jersey.

Kannemeyer, 24, outsprinted Wohlberg in a duel to the finish line outside the infamous Childers backpackers hostel where 15 young people died in an horrific blaze in June 2000.

The stage took the field 107km inland from coastal Woodgate where the race started with ten laps of a street course before heading for the open road.

It was in these opening circuits that the outcome of the event was decided, with Kannemeyer and Wohlberg getting into a bunch of six riders that led the field out of town by 2m30s.

An hour later the break had blown out to more than six minutes and with 20km left to race Kannemeyer and Wohlberg lifted the tempo and kicked away from their fellow leaders.

The peloton also lifted the pace and closed the gap to less than three minutes, but they might as well have saved their energy.

The South African and the Canadian powered into the main street of Childers where Kannemeyer found something extra in the last 50 metres.

"It was a very hard race, made difficult by the cross winds and the heat," Kannemeyer said.

Kannemeyer's win elevated him into third, 31 seconds behind Wohlberg who reluctantly took back the tour lead he held on day one.

"It wasn't in my or the team's plan to take back the leader's jersey today, as it will be harder defending it than chasing it," Wohlberg said.

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