How Afghan Cameleers Helped Shape Australia’s Interior and Legacy

The Afghan cameleers played an unsung yet vital role in settling and developing Australia’s arid interior. Their legacy continues to live on in surprising ways, from historical influences to culinary offerings.

Take Hanifa Deen, for example, a writer and historian of Islam in Australia, whose kitchen walls are adorned with posters of camels. While she views them as regal and haughty creatures, her admiration is more than just aesthetic. “I admit, I can’t bring myself to eat a camel burger,” Deen remarks. However, in many parts of the world, camel meat is a delicacy, consumed in the Middle East, North Africa, and among diasporas globally. Whether stewed into fragrant tagines in Morocco or served as burgers in Somali communities in the American Midwest, camel meat has a diverse culinary footprint.

Yet in Australia, despite its large population of feral camels, the meat remains relatively niche. This is changing as environmentalists, animal rights activists, and entrepreneurs explore the benefits of incorporating camel meat into the Australian diet. The rationale? It’s more than just taste—it’s about solving an ecological problem.

The Invasion of the Feral Camels: An Ecological Challenge

Australia has the world’s largest population of feral camels, estimated to be between 300,000 to one million. These camels are not native; they were imported in the 19th century to help traverse the harsh deserts of Australia’s vast interior. However, with the advent of motorized vehicles, they were left to roam free, leading to significant environmental issues as they damage delicate ecosystems and water supplies.

To control the population, the Australian government has implemented aerial camel culls, shooting camels from helicopters and leaving the carcasses to decompose in the Outback. While effective in reducing numbers, these culls have provoked an outcry from animal rights groups. Advocates suggest a more sustainable solution: using camels for their meat, which is already a part of the diet in many Middle Eastern and African immigrant communities in Australia. Halal butcher shops in these neighborhoods have started sourcing camel meat from the Outback, and the export industry is slowly expanding.

However, the significance of the camel in Australia goes beyond addressing today’s environmental concerns—it’s also tied to the country’s colonial history and the contributions of its first Muslim migrants.

Afghan Cameleers and Their Vital Role in Australia’s Settlement

In the mid-19th century, British colonizers faced the daunting challenge of exploring and settling Australia’s vast and inhospitable interior. While Aboriginal people had lived sustainably in the region for millennia, Europeans struggled to navigate the arid landscapes using horses and traditional methods.

The solution came from other corners of the British Empire. Camels, along with their experienced handlers, had long been used in the Thar Desert of British India. Recognizing their value, the Victorian Exploration Committee in 1858 tasked horse dealer George Landell with recruiting camels and their drivers from India. When explorers Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills embarked on their iconic 1860 journey across Australia, they brought camels with them. These animals proved indispensable, able to carry heavy loads over long distances with little water, making them ideal for traversing Australia’s harsh terrain.

Over the next few decades, around 20,000 camels and 3,000 handlers, known as “Afghan cameleers,” migrated to Australia. Although they hailed from regions across British India and modern-day Afghanistan, they were collectively dubbed “Afghans” by white Australians—a name that has persisted. Philip Jones, Senior Curator of Anthropology at the South Australian Museum, notes that the term was a simplification, overlooking the diverse origins of these cameleers.

The cameleers facilitated the expansion of Australia’s interior, creating overland trade routes, carrying supplies, and establishing infrastructure. A white Australian official even wrote in 1902 that without the Afghan and his camels, many towns in the interior would have “ceased to exist.”

Racial Tensions and the Struggle for Inclusion

However, like much of the British colonial enterprise, the relationship between the cameleers and white settlers was fraught with racial tension and prejudice. While they were indispensable to the colonization of the interior, the cameleers faced discrimination and were often perceived as inferior due to their Muslim faith and South Asian heritage. The competition over scarce resources, such as Outback water sources, further heightened tensions.

An incident in 1894 highlighted these divides when a white Australian, Tom Knowles, shot and killed two cameleers, Noor Mahomet and Jehan Mohamet, while they performed their ritual ablutions before prayer. A jury later acquitted Knowles of any wrongdoing, underscoring the precarious status of the cameleers in Australian society.

The Decline of the Cameleer Era

The contributions of the cameleers were significant but short-lived. By the late 19th century, as nationalist sentiments and racism grew in Australia, so did policies aimed at maintaining a “white Australia.” The 1901 White Australia policy introduced stringent immigration restrictions, making it nearly impossible for non-Europeans to migrate or stay. Additionally, the rise of motorized transport reduced the need for camels, rendering the cameleers obsolete.

By the 1920s, most cameleers had left Australia, though around 300 chose to stay, often marrying white or Aboriginal women. Their descendants remain in parts of South Australia, bearing family names and cultural pride passed down through generations. The camels, however, were either culled under the South Australian Camels Destruction Act of 1925 or left to roam free—leading to today’s feral camel population.

A Lasting Legacy and Renewed Recognition

While much of the cameleers’ history has long been overlooked in mainstream narratives, recent efforts have sought to restore their legacy and acknowledge their contributions to Australian history. Historic mosques built by cameleers in cities like Adelaide and Perth still stand, hosting services and acting as a testament to the cultural impact of these early Muslim migrants. The Islamic Museum of Australia, along with historians and descendants of the cameleers, are actively working to educate the public on the role of the cameleers in shaping Australia’s interior.

Among those preserving this heritage is Hanifa Deen, an Australian author with a passion for uncovering the stories of the early Muslim community. Growing up as one of the few Muslim families in Perth, Deen recalls seeing bearded men in turbans, the last remaining cameleers, praying and socializing at the local mosque. These men, who once played such a vital role in Australia’s development, seemed to exist between worlds — part of Australia’s fabric yet distinct in their cultural practices.

As Deen researched her family history, she discovered a personal connection to the cameleers. Her grandfather, a businessman from British India, had migrated to Australia in the late 19th century, part of the wave of Muslim traders and workers who laid down roots in the country. For Deen, this discovery underscored the erasure of diverse voices in Australia’s historical narrative. “Who writes the history books?” she asks, highlighting the need for more inclusive storytelling.

Modern Relevance: Solving Today’s Feral Camel Dilemma

Today, the story of the Afghan cameleers finds renewed relevance in discussions around Australia’s environmental challenges. The feral camel population, descendants of those originally imported by the cameleers, is a growing issue. Environmentalists and animal rights activists argue that rather than culling these animals, they could be sustainably harvested for meat. This solution would not only address environmental concerns but also provide economic benefits to communities engaged in the camel meat trade.

While transporting camels and fresh meat across the vast Outback poses logistical challenges, advocates point out that the industry is already finding success. Camel meat, lean with pockets of delicate fat, is well-regarded for its taste, often described as a cross between lamb and beef. The demand for halal meat, particularly among Australia’s growing Middle Eastern and African immigrant communities, is creating new markets for the product.

The industry remains modest, but proponents believe its growth is inevitable. Some believe that as European Australians become more familiar with camel meat, its popularity will spread beyond immigrant communities. The taste and the potential for sustainability make it an attractive option. As one Somali-Australian butcher told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “It’s only a matter of time before European Australians catch on.”

The Afghan cameleers’ story is more than a footnote in Australia’s history—it’s a testament to the multicultural and multifaceted influences that have shaped the nation. From building the infrastructure that opened up the country’s interior to influencing religious and cultural practices that still exist today, their contributions are slowly being recognized and celebrated.

As Australia grapples with the legacy of its feral camels, it’s a reminder of how history and modernity are often intertwined. The efforts to restore the cameleers’ legacy not only shine a light on a forgotten chapter of Australia’s past but also offer innovative solutions to contemporary challenges. The journey of the camels, and those who brought them, continues to resonate in Australia’s cultural and environmental landscape, bridging the past with the present.