Loading camels, early 20th century

Educational value

• This asset shows an Arabian camel, more than 11,000 of which were brought into Australia between 1860 and 1907 to provide transport in the harsh desert regions, where horses, mules and bullocks were ineffective - camels are especially suited to conditions in the interior because of the spongy pads on their feet, which enable them to walk easily on sand, and their ability to travel long distances without water and to carry heavy loads.
• It shows the loading of a camel that was part of a camel team - camel teams typically consisted of about 70 camels and four Afghan cameleers, and travelled between 30 and 40 kilometres per day, with large bull camels carrying loads of up to 600 kilograms.
• It shows a cameleer - cameleers were commonly called Afghans, whether they came from Afghanistan or Pakistan; about 3,000 came to Australia to work with camels, and they made quite a social impact in parts of Australia, with 'Ghantowns' growing up in some country towns and date plantations being planted; the train that today crosses the country from Adelaide to Darwin is named 'The Ghan' as a tribute to these men.
• It shows wool bales being loaded onto a camel for transport to market or to the railhead - to make any money, station owners had to get their wool to market; until road and rail networks were established, camels provided a cost-effective means of doing this, with each camel carrying two bales of up to 200 kilograms or a team of them hauling a wagon loaded with bales.
• It illustrates the dry, stony and sandy type of landscape in which the camels worked so effectively - their steady pace on flat or over undulating country, their ability to go for seven to ten days without water, and the extra coverings over their nostrils and eyes to keep out the dust allowed them to adapt perfectly to their new environment.
• It shows what is probably a photograph by John Flynn, a missionary in outback Australia who documented many aspects of life in the interior through his photographs - known as 'Flynn of the Inland', he is credited with establishing what was to become the Royal Flying Doctor Service in 1928.

Year level

5; 6; 7; 8; 9

Topics Australian history Camels