What Were The Cameleers In The 1860's?

“The wool industry and the gold rushes of the 1850s provided an impetus for free settlers to come to Australia” (About Australia, n.d.). When the free settlers came to Australia, many people wanted to explore the unknown regions of the country to find more ways to establish new industries. However, these settlers did not have suitable transport for the Australian desert. The government acted upon this in the 1860’s by bringing importing camel and their cameleers, the Afghan Cameleers. Unfortunately, early Australia was a very racist country and did not welcome the cameleers. Although there were some issues in the first expedition, camels became a key part in Australia’s growing economy.

In the mid-1800’s, Australia was growing fast with explorers and settlers wanting to explore the country and create new towns. However, a major hurdle was transport. There were no railways in the undiscovered parts of the country and horseback was not an option. From the 1860’s, Australia found the answer, Afghan cameleers. Not all the cameleers were from Afghanistan

as they were from the Middle East, they were grouped together under the heading of Afghan cameleers. The cameleers came from four ethnic groups, Pashtun, Punjabi, Baluchi, and Sindhi. The cameleers had high experience and knowledge with camels and were often employed in Australia with three-year contracts. The cameleers would have to leave behind their wives and families. “Th brought with them no women, and although some married European or Aboriginal women, their families always livd in the Ghantowns and rarely mixed in Australian society” (Stevens. C, 2011). If they were single, it was common for them to marry Aboriginal women but very uncommon to marry the European women.
Due to the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, people entering Australia that did not speak English would have to have a dictation test. Many of the cameleers had to apply for an exemption from the test. This Act also made it almost impossible for the cameleers who left the country after their three-year contract to return to Australia. The European Australians did not welcome the Afghan cameleers. After Federation in 1901, there was severe discrimination against coloured people. “Almost all of the cameleers who came to Australia during this period faced enormous hardship. While their sills were needed and mostly appreciated, they were largely shunned by the European communites” (Australia.gov.au, n.d).The Afghan cameleers lived on the outskirts of the European townships. These small towns were called Ghantowns and were located near the Aboriginal towns also. The cameleers were highly discriminated by the Europeans, however, some Europeans accepted the cameleers. The Europeans would fight with the cameleers about water and grazing rights. The Europeans believed that the cameleers had no right in using the resources and claimed they were stealing. Due to religious needs, the cameleers were able to apply for a three-year exemption from the dictation test. This allowed them to participate in pilgrims that travelled to their homeland, Mecca.
The first expedition that the cameleers embarked on was the Burke and Wills expedition. There were twenty-four camels and three cameleers that were a part of the expedition. The camels and cameleers arrived in Port Melbourne on the 9th of June 1860. The expedition was a journey through the centre of Australia, from the south coast to the north coast. “They left Melbourne with a large party of men, and camels, marched north, crossed the Murray and the Darling, and reached Cooper’s Creek” (Weekly Times, 1916). However, the return journey to Port Melbourne, Burke and Wills and several other explorers died. Although there was a tragedy in the expedition, it was proven that camels were an essential form of transport when travelling in the Australian outback. After this expedition, camels were used to assist in expeditions, transporting food and water to projects, gold mines and small rural towns.
The cameleers were a fundamental part of Australia’s fast growing economy.

“Without the Afghans much of the development of the outback would have been very difficult if not impossible” (Flinders Ranges Research, n.d.). The cameleers were responsible for transporting supplies to the key construction of the Overland Telegraph Line and Trans-Australian railway. Not only did they help with major construction but also with the gold mines delivering essential supplies. When the industry rapidly grew, some cameleers that had accumulated enough wealth to create their own business. There was not much competition for with the Europeans who tried to create transport businesses with horses as the Afghan cameleers were able to effectively provide the service in the least amount of time. The cameleers possessed ancient knowledge of camel transportation and were able to move throughout the day, even during the middle of the

night.
As more businesses were created by the cameleers, and their services grew in demand, the cameleers started a breeding program for camels. The cameleers stated the program to reduce importing camels and to also benefit the economy. However, after the camel industry dried up due to modern inventions such as cars and trucks, camels were considered a pest and there were plans to cull them. “For a short period of time from the 1860’s to the early 1900’s, these cameleers and their ‘ships of the desert’ became the backbone of the Australian economy” (Australia.gov.au, n.d).
Although the Afghan cameleers were social seen as worthless outcasts, they were a vital part in helping both the economy and country grow. The cameleers helped new towns form and receive necessities, map the whole country, and create significant rail lines to link rural Australia. They were the main mode of rural transport until the industry ended due to the modern invention of the motorvehicle. There were around 20,000 camels and 2000 cameleers that came to Australia from the 1860’s to the 1920’s. In their memory, the train ‘The Ghan’ is named after them.