The first camel in Australia. The   Phillips   brothers,   (Henry   Weston   Phillips   (1818- 1898);   George   Phillips   (1820-1900);   G   M   Phillips   (?- ?))    bought    nine    camels    at    Tenerife    in    the    Canary Islands.   Four   or   six   of   the   beasts   were   loaded   aboard the   SS   Apolline   which   had   been   chartered   by   Henry in    London.    The    Apolline,    under    Captain    William Deane,   docked   at   Port Adelaide   in   South Australia   on 12   October   1840   and   the   sole   surviving   beast,   named Harry, became the first camel in Australia. By   the   mid–1800s,   exploration   in   Australia   was   at   its peak   with   expeditions   setting   out   almost   monthly.   The race   to   map   the   continent,   locate   natural   resources   or find   new   places   to   settle   moved   away   from   the   coast and   further   into   the   inhospitable   heart   of   Australia.   It was    soon    obvious    that    the    traditional    horses    and wagons   used   for   such   expeditions   were   not   suitable in   this   strange   and   foreign   land.The   solution   to   the problem     of     finding     suitable     transport     for     inland exploration    and    travel    was    to    bring    in    camels.   As nobody    at    the    time    knew    how    to    handle    camels, cameleers   were   recruited   to   Australia   as   well.   The introduction    of    camels    and    the    so-called    'Afghan' cameleers    proved    to    be    a    turning    point    in    the exploration and development of the Australian interior. Afghan and Decorated Camel Afghan   and   Decorated   Camel,   1901.   Image   courtesy of the State Library of South Australia: B 14739. For   a   short   period   of   time   from   the   1860s   to   the   early 1900s, these cameleers and their 'ships of the desert' became    the    backbone    of    the    Australian    economy. They     accompanied     exploration     parties,     carrying supplies and   materials   where   horses   and   oxen   could   not. They carted    supplies,    mail    and    even    water    to    remote settlements. They   transported   the   supplies,   tools   and   equipment needed   for   the   surveying   and   construction   of   some   of Australia's     earliest,     and     greatest,     infrastructure projects,   such   as   the   Overland   Telegraph   and   Trans- Australian Railway. The first cameleers In     the     1800s,     explorers,     settlers,     ranchers     and prospectors     sought     to     unlock     the     mystery     and potential   of   the   vast,   inhospitable   interior   of   Australia. Horses,   and   to   a   lesser   degree   donkeys   and   bullocks, were    the    traditional    beasts    of    burden    on    early expeditions    into   Australia's    interior.    Many    of    these expeditions   ended   in   disaster   and   tragedy. As   well   as requiring   regular   watering   and   large   stocks   of   feed, horses   were   easily   exhausted   by   the   tough   and   often sandy    ground    and    supposedly    'spooked'    by    the Australian terrain. One   camel   being   winched   over   the   side   of   the   boat while a number of Afghans watch. Unloading camels at Port Augusta, ca.1920. Image     courtesy     of     the     State     Library     of     South Australia: B 68916. A 'solution to the problem' As    early    as    1839,    camels    were    proposed    as    the solution   to   the   problem   of   transport   while   exploring. The   first   expedition   to   use   a   camel   was   the   1846 Horrocks   expedition.   'Harry',   as   the   camel   was   named by   the   party,   proved   the   worth   of   using   camels   in expeditions.     In     1846     a     Melbourne     newspaper reported   that   the   camels   could   carry:   from   seven   to eight   hundred   pounds   weight   ...   they   last   out   several generations   of   mules   ...   the   price   paid   for   them   does not   exceed   one   half   of   that   paid   for   mules   ...   and   it   is proved   that   these   'ships   of   the   deserts'   of   Arabia   are equally adaptable to our climate. Other   small   successes   followed   and   by   1858,   many prominent Australians   were   calling   for   the   introduction of     camels,     including     South    Australian     Governor, Richard MacDonnell: “I   despair   of   much   being   achieved   even   with   horses; and   I   certainly   think   we   have   never   given   explorers fair    play    in    not    equipping    them    with    camels    or dromedaries   and   waterskins,   which   in   Africa   I   found the best methods of carrying liquid.” Governor   Richard   MacDonnell   to   Charles   Sturt   10 August   1858.   Quoted   in   Mrs   Napier   Sturt's   'Life   of Charles Sturt' (1899) . Purchase and recruitment At   the   same   time,   the   Victorian   Expedition   Committee commissioned      George      Landell,      a      well-known horseman   who   exported   to   India,   to   buy   camels   and recruit    cameleers,    because    'the    camels    would    be comparatively   useless   unless   accompanied   by   their native   drivers'   (from   VEE   committee   minutes,   19   May 1859). The departure of the Burke and Wills expedition. The    departure    of    the    Burke    and    Wills    expedition, 1881, Lithograph. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria: mp010346. In   1860,   24   camels   and   three   cameleers   from   arrived in Melbourne to join the Burke and Wills expedition. Although   this   expedition   ended   in   disaster with the loss of many lives, including those of   Burke   and   Wills,   the   camels   again   proved   their ability to survive the harsh and dry conditions of the Australian outback. By    the    late    1860s,    most    Australian    states    were importing    camels    and    cameleers.    In    1866,    South Australian   Samuel   Stuckey   brought   in   more   than   100 camels    and    31    cameleers.    Over    the    next    decade, more   and   more   camels   and   cameleers   were   brought to   Australia   as   breeding   programs   and   trading   routes were   established.   It   is   estimated   that   from   1870   to 1900   alone,   more   than   2,000   cameleers   and   15,000 camels came to Australia. Servicing infrastructure projects The   cameleers   were   also   instrumental   in   the   success of     some     of     early     Australia's     most     ambitious infrastructure   projects. They   carried   food   and   supplies to   the   surveying   and   construction   teams   working   on the   Overland   Telegraph,   which   ran   through   the   heart of   the   continent   between   Adelaide   and   Darwin.   Once the   project   was   completed,   they   continued   to   carry supplies   and   mail   to   the   settlements   and   townships which sprang up along the line. They    also    operated    supply    and    equipment    trains during   the   development   of   the   rail   link   between   Port Augusta   and   Alice   Springs,   which   became   known   as the   Afghan   Express,   and   later   the   Ghan.   The   Ghan's emblem   is   an   Afghan   on   a   camel   in   recognition   of their   efforts   in   opening   up   the   inhospitable   interior   to the rest of Australia. The cameleers The Ghan Logo The   Ghan   logo.   Image   courtesy   of   Great   Southern Rail Limited. The   cameleers   were   collectively   known   as   'Afghan' cameleers.      While      some      were      originally      from Afghanistan,    others    came    from    countries    such    as Baluchistan,   Kashmir,   Sind,   Rajastan,   Egypt,   Persia, Turkey   and   Punjab,   so   spoke   a   variety   of   languages. Their   common   bond   was   their   Islamic   religion   and   the fact    that    they    were    almost    exclusively    young    or middle-aged men. Not quite welcome Almost   all   of   the   cameleers   who   came   to   Australia during   this   period   faced   enormous   hardship.   While their   skills   were   needed   and   mostly   appreciated,   they were   largely   shunned   by   the   European   communities. Indeed, racism and anger towards them was rife. The Mosque, Marree The    Mosque    at    Hergott    Springs.    The    pool    in    the foreground    was    used    by    worshippers    for    washing their feet before entering   the   Mosque,   ca.1884.   Image   courtesy   of   the State Library of South Australia: B 15341. 'Ghan Tours' The   vast   majority   of   cameleers   arrived   in   Australia alone,   leaving   wives   and   families   behind,   to   work   on three   year   contracts.   They   were   either   given   living quarters    on    a    breeding    station,    such    as    Thomas Elder's   Beltana,   or   marginalised   on   the   outskirts   of towns    and    settlements.    It    was    not    uncommon    for outback   towns   to   have   three   distinct   areas—one   for Europeans,     one     for     Aboriginals     and     one     for cameleers,    which    became    known    as    Afghan,    or Ghan,   towns.   This   social   division   was   even   reflected in   the   town   cemeteries,   such   as   those   of   Farina   and Marree. But   while   it   was   extremely   rare   for   the   cameleers   to interact   with   Europeans,   there   was   more   acceptance by    the    local    Aboriginal    populations.    Indeed,    some cameleers   married   local   Aboriginal   women   and   had families here. In   the   so-called   Ghan   towns,   cameleers   would   often build   a   mosque   that   would   not   only   serve   as   a   place of   worship,   but   as   a   gathering   place   that   offered   the cameleers   a   sense   of   community   that   they   could   not find   elsewhere.   The   remains   of   the   oldest   mosque   in Australia,    built    in    1861,    are    near    Marree    (Hergott Springs)   in   South Australia.   This   was   once   one   of   the country's   most   important   camel   junctions   and   in   its heyday was called Little Asia or Little Afghanistan. Portrait   of   Saidah   Saidel,   last   of   the   Afghan   camel drivers Robin    Smith,    Last    of    the    camel    drivers,    unknown. Image courtesy of Territory Stories: PH0780/0010. In     some     instances,     European     attitudes     to     the cameleers   focused   on   their   religion.   In   other   cases,   it was related to their perceived    pride    and    independence    as    at    the    time, Afghanistan      was      really      only      known      to      most Australians as the country that    had,    unlike    British    India,    resisted    the    British forces.   This   perception   was   further   enhanced   in   the settlers' eyes when cameleers   on   Beltana   station   went   on   strike—one   of Australia's first successful strikes. Relations    on    the    Western    Australian    goldfields 1890s As   the   cameleers   became   more   established,   many set     up     their     own     competing     businesses     and enterprises,   often   resulting   in   ill-will   and   sometimes even   open   conflict.   One   of   the   most   notable   examples of   this   was   on   the   Western Australian   goldfields   in   the late    1890s.    Years    of    simmering    tensions    between Afghan   cameleers   and   European   bullock   teamsters escalated    to    the    point    where    the    cameleers    were openly    demonised    in    the    press    and    accused    of various    acts    of    aggression,    including    monopolising and    befouling    waterholes.    This    resulted    in    Hugh Mahon,   the   local   federal   Member,   raising   the   issue with Prime Minister Barton in parliament. A   subsequent   investigation   by   police   was   ordered   and the   state's   Police   Commissioner   ultimately   reported that,   while   there   had   been   many   'reports   and   rumours of    Afghans    polluting    the    water    and    taking    forcible possession   of   dams',   there   was   actually   'no   evidence obtainable'   to   support   these   reports   and   complaints. In   fact,   the   investigation   found   that   the   only   trouble   'of a   serious   nature'   was   that   a   cameleer   had   been   shot and   wounded   by   a   white   teamster   for   failing   to   give way. Camel Train Camel   train   laden   with   chaff   for   interior   stations   in   the far   North   with   an Afghan   camel   driver,   ca.1911.   Image courtesy   of   the   State   Library   of   South   Australia:   B 14808. Providing   drought   assistance   in   far   western   New South Wales, 1900s But   not   all   white   Australians   shunned   the   cameleers. When William Goss became the first European to see   Uluru,   he   named   a   nearby   well,   Kamran's   Well, after his lead cameleer and a nearby hill, Allanah Hill,   after   another   cameleer.   And   in   1902,   after   the devastating Federation Drought, the Attorney- General    received    a    letter    from    a    John    Edwards stating that: It   is   no   exaggeration   to   say   that   if   it   had   not   been   for the   Afghan   and   his   Camels,   Wilcannia,   White   Cliffs, Tibooburra,     Milperinka     and     other     Towns,     each centres     of     considerable     population,     would     have practically ceased to exist. Contractors and entrepreneurs As     the     cameleers     became     accustomed     to     the Australian   landscape   and   people,   many   saw   a   way   to create   opportunities   for   themselves   by   branching   into business     on     their     own     or     in     partnership     with Europeans.   So   successful   were   they   that   by   the   end of    the    nineteenth    century,    Muslim    merchants    and brokers dominated the Australian camel business. Fuzzly Ahmed and Faiz Mahomet Some     of     the     most     successful     of     the     cameleer entrepreneurs   included   Fuzzly   Ahmed,   who   worked the    Port   Augusta–Oodnadatta    line    for    many    years before   moving   to   Broken   Hill,   and   Faiz   Mahomet,   who arrived   at   the   age   of   22   and   settled   in   Marree,   where he    operated    as    a    Forwarding    Agent    and    General Carrier   before   moving   to   and   setting   up   an   operation in    the    Coolgardie    goldfields    with    his    brother,    Tagh Mahomet. Abdul Wade Camels     and     camel     merchants     at     Mt.     Garnet, Queensland, ca. 1901 Unknown,    Camels    and    camel    merchants    at    Mt. Garnet,   Queensland,   ca.   1901   [The   man   in   the   suit and hat, holding   the   camel,   is Abdul   Wade].   Image   courtesy   of the State Library of Queensland: 13127. But   perhaps   the   most   successful   of   all   the   Afghan cameleers     was     Abdul     Wade.     Wade     arrived     in Australia in 1879   and   initially   worked   for   Faiz   and   Tagh   Mahomet. In 1893, Wade moved to Bourke, NSW, and began importing   camels   and   recruiting Afghan   cameleers   for the recently formed Bourke Camel Carrying Co., New South Wales. In   1895,   Wade   married   widow   Emily   Ozadelle,   with whom he had seven children, and in 1903 purchased Wangamanna   station   in   New   South   Wales,   which   he established     as     a     camel     breeding     and     carrying business. At   the   height   of   his   success,   Wade   had   four   hundred camels and sixty men working for him. Respected    by    his    employees    and    nicknamed    the 'Afghan   prince',   Wade   worked   hard   at   being   seen   as an   equal   by   his   Australian   peers.   He   dressed   as   a European,     educated     his     children     at     top     private schools   and   even   became   a   naturalised   citizen.   But success   in   Australian   society   eluded   Wade   and   his attempts   at   fitting   in   were   ridiculed.   At   the   end   of   the camel    era,    Wade    sold    his    station    and    returned    to Afghanistan,    where    he    surrendered    his    Australian passport. The end of an era In    the    early    twentieth    century,    motorised    and    rail transport   was   becoming   more   common   and   the   need for     camels,     and     cameleers,     was     slowly     dying. Ironically,    two    of    the    greatest    contributions    of    the Afghan   cameleers,   the   Ghan   railway   and   Overland Telegraph,    were    also    to    herald    the    start    of    their demise. Immigration Restriction Act 1901 Certificate   exempting   Said   Kabool   from   the   Dictation Test,   1916.   Said   Kabool   arrived   in   Australia   in   1896 and worked in Coolgardie   for   seven   years.   Image   courtesy   of   the National   Archives   of   Australia:   NAA:   E752,   1916/42, p. 12. As   many   of   the   cameleers   were   in   Australia   on   three year    contracts,    they    would    usually    return    to    their homes and family after    each    contract,    before    returning    to    Australia. Some   discovered   that   they   were   no   longer   granted permission to return to Australia.   Others   found   that   they   now   had   to   sit   the dictation   test   under   the   Immigration   Restriction   Act, 1901 (which kept   out   new   cameleers   and   denied   re-entry   to   those who   left),   or   apply   for   exemption.   Many   were   denied naturalisation due to their 'Asian' status. In   1903,   a   petition   on   behalf   of   more   than   500   Indians and   Afghans   in   Western   Australia   was   placed   before the   Viceroy   of   India,   Lord   Curzon.   The   petition   made four    major    complaints    against    'certain    legislative restrictions'   facing   the   cameleers:   they   were   unable   to hold   a   miner's   right   on   the   goldfields;   they   could   not travel    interstate    for    work,    'except    under    the    most stringent    conditions';    they    were    not    allowed    to    re- enter   Australia   if   they   left;   and   they   were   not   able   to be naturalised. Nothing was to come of their petition. Rail and road transport Feral   Camels   cover   approximately   40%   of   land   area in the NT. Image courtesy of the Northern Territory Government    Natural    Resources,    Environment,    The Arts and Sport. By     the     1930s,     Australia's     inland     transport     was controlled    by    rail    and,    increasingly,    road    networks. Facing the    prospect    of    no    employment    and    a    sometimes hostile     government     and     people,     many     of     the cameleers returned   to   their   homelands,   some   after   decades   of living in Australia. Others remained and turned to other   trades   and   means   of   making   a   living.   Rather than see their camels shot, they released them into the   wild,   where   they   have   since   flourished.   In   2007, the estimated feral camel population of Australia was   around   1   000   000,   approximately   half   of   which were in Western Australia. The last of the cameleers By    1940,    few    cameleers    remained.    Philip    Jones relates   the   tale   of   some   of   the   last   of   the   Afghan cameleers     in     reCollections,     the     Journal     of     the National Museum of Australia: “In   the   Adelaide   summer   of   1952   a   young   Bosnian Muslim    and    his    friends,    newly    arrived    immigrants, pushed   open   the   high   gate   of   the   Adelaide   mosque As   Shefik   Talanavic   entered   the   mosque   courtyard   he was   confronted   by   an   extraordinary   sight.   Sitting   and lying   on   benches,   shaded   from   the   strong   sunshine by   vines   and   fruit   trees,   were   six   or   seven   ancient, turbaned   men.   The   youngest   was   87   years   old.   Most were   in   their   nineties;   the   oldest   was   117   years   old. These   were   the   last   of Australia's   Muslim   cameleers... Several   had   subscribed   money   during   the   late   1880s for    the    construction    of    the    mosque    which    now, crumbling and decayed, provided their last refuge.” It   is   only   in   recent   years,   with   the   South   Australian Museum's    Australian    Muslim    Cameleers    exhibition (developed   with   support   from   the   Visions   of   Australia program)   and   book,   that   the   story   and   the   contribution of      these      pioneers      to     Australia's      history      and development has been told.

Australia’s Muslim Cameleers exhibition pictures & dialogue courtesy ABC Alice Springs.                                  …. CLICK TO VIEW The above information and more can be accessed on the Australian Government website http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story /afghan-cameleers