THE CAMEL STORY

Australia's earliest pioneers and explorers were horsemen. However 70% of Australia is desert or semi-desert, and horses were limited in this area because of a shortage of water and lack of suitable horse feed. Camels were introduced because they can thrive on Australia's desert flora and fauna, not only getting enough nutrition, but also enough water. This self-sufficiency gave them much greater range and loading capacity.

When camels were imported, they also brought their Afghan handlers who were skilled in camel management and camel transport. The camels were used for exploration by Giles and other explorers, but their main task was carrying bulk supplies to Outback towns like Alice Springs, mining communities & pastoral stations.

In 1907, there was an outbreak of foot & mouth disease in India which stopped camel imports. There was still a demand in Australia for camels, so the Governments in S.A & W.A established camel depots where they bred & trained camels. Private breeders like Thomas Elder also supplied camels and approximately 20,000 were working at their peak.

The advent of road and rail transport saw camels abandoned and their numbers grow in the wild.
Because they impact on the food chain of native animals and some plant species, camels are today classified as feral or noxious animals.

There is a concerted effort in the Northern Territory to establish a camel industry to process camels for meat & by-products, & a live camel export trade.