Long before railways crisscrossed the inland, and decades before trucks rolled through Queensland’s mining corridor, it was camels and their cameleers who opened the outback.
Between the 1870s and 1940s, camel trains were a lifeline for some of the state’s most remote mining operations. Introduced to Australia for their ability to survive dry, harsh conditions, camels quickly proved more reliable than horses and bullocks. They could carry heavier loads, travel further without water and navigate terrain where wheeled transport struggled.
Accompanying them were cameleers, often collectively referred to as Afghans or Ghans, although most came from present-day Pakistan, India and parts of the Middle East.
Around 20,000 camels and several thousand cameleers arrived in Australia between 1870 and 1920 and they brought more than muscle. They brought knowledge of desert travel, bush navigation and remote logistics at a time when Queensland’s copper and coal industries were just beginning to find their feet.
In Queensland’s mining heartlands, places like Mount Garnett, Cloncurry, Chillagoe and Mungana, camel teams hauled copper ore to smelters, delivered coke and coal to firing stations, and brought in food, tools and supplies from distant ports and railheads. They were the quiet enablers of an industry in motion.
Among the most prominent figures was Abdul Wade, often dubbed “the Afghan King”. As a shareholder in the OK Copper Mines and the operator of the Bourke Carrying Company, Wade was instrumental in moving ore and smelting materials between mines and remote sites. His operation included over 600 camels, working across Queensland’s north-west to keep supply lines open.
Cloncurry became a key centre for cameleer activity. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was home to over 200 cameleers and 2,000 camels.
A large Ghantown (as these cameleer settlements were known) grew on the edge of town. From here, camel teams would transport ore for crushing, cart stores to isolated cattle stations and mine camps, and even sell goods door to door. Cameleers travelled with small wagons, offering cloth, thread, dinnerware and dressmaking supplies to the most remote corners of the frontier.
While many cameleers returned home, some stayed and tried to make a life in Australia. They faced legal restrictions on residency and movement, including a camel tax introduced in 1902. The White Australia Policy and other discriminatory laws made it difficult for cameleers to settle permanently or bring family to Australia. Yet despite the obstacles, they remained central to outback trade for decades.
Still, their impact was lasting. In towns like Ballara, Mount Cuthbert and Chillagoe, camel teams once hauled entire mining camps on their backs. Before tramways and railway extensions were completed, camels carried copper ore, smelting equipment and provisions across rugged terrain, often covering hundreds of kilometres to keep isolated operations running.
By the 1940s, the camel era had ended. Road and rail networks had taken over, and the last of the Ghantowns faded into history. Yet their legacy remains imprinted on Queensland’s mining story, from the wide roads they once turned upon to the surviving cemeteries that quietly honour their contribution.
| For readers interested in exploring this remarkable chapter of history further, resources can be found through the Queensland State Library, the National Library of Australia, and the Queensland Museum’s community collections. Local heritage centres in Cloncurry, Chillagoe and Mount Isa also hold valuable records and displays connected to cameleers and early mining infrastructure. Your local library or historical society may also assist with archives and published histories of the camel era in regional Queensland. Sources: Queensland History – Camel Trains in Queensland. Cloncurry Afghan Cameleers – Queensland Museum (McPhee, Ewen). Australian Dictionary of Biography – Abdul Wade (Stevens, Christine). ABC News – Afghan Cameleers Remembered (Snow, Madison). Queensland Government Heritage Trails – Cloncurry Region. |
Main image caption: Photo credit: Royal Historical Society of Queensland.
