Afghan camaleer
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Afghan cameleers in Australia, also known as "Afghans" ( ps, افغانان) or "Ghans" ( ps, غانز), were camel drivers who worked in
Outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass a n ...
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
from the 1860s to the 1930s. Small groups of cameleers were shipped in and out of Australia at three-year intervals, to service the Australian inland pastoral industry by carting goods and transporting wool bales by camel trains. They were commonly referred to as "Afghans", even though a lot of them originated from the far western parts of British India, primarily Balochistan and the
NWFP NWFP may refer to: *North-West Frontier Province, a province of British India, and later, Pakistan *Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP o ...
(now Pakistan), which was inhabited by ethnic
Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
and Balochs. Nonetheless, many were from Afghanistan itself as well. In addition, there were also some with origins in Egypt and Turkey.Afghan cameleers in Australia
3rd September 2009. Australia.gov.au. . Accessed 8 May 2014.
The majority of cameleers, including cameleers from British India, were
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
, while a sizeable minority were
Sikhs Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ...
from the Punjab region. They set up camel-breeding stations and rest-house outposts, known as
caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...
, throughout inland Australia, creating a permanent link between the coastal cities and the remote cattle and sheep grazing stations until about the 1930s, when they were largely replaced by the automobile. They included members of the Pashtun,
Baloch Baloch, also spelled Baloch, Beluch and in other ways, may refer to: * Baloch people, an ethnic group of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan * Baluch, a small itinerant community of Afghanistan * Balouch, Azad Kashmir, a town in Pakistan * Baloch (s ...
, and Sindhi ethnic groups from south-central Asia (present-day Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan); others from the
Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
,
Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
, and Rajasthan regions of the Indian subcontinent; as well as people from Egypt, Iraq,
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, and Turkey. They provided vital support to exploration, communications and settlement in the arid interior of the country where the climate was too harsh for horses. They also played a major role in establishing Islam in Australia, building the country's first mosque at Marree in South Australia in 1861, the
Central Adelaide Mosque The Central Adelaide Mosque, also known as Adelaide City Mosque or Adelaide Mosque, and formerly known as the Afghan Chapel, is a mosque located in Adelaide, South Australia. The mosque was built in 1888–1889, with its four distinctive minare ...
(the first permanent mosque in Adelaide, still in use today), and several mosques in Western Australia. Many of the cameleers and their families later returned to their homelands, but many remained and turned to other trades and ways of making a living. Today, many people can trace their ancestry back to the early cameleers, many of whom intermarried with local
Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...
women and European women in outback Australia.


History


Beginnings

The various colonies of Australia being under the dominion of the British Empire, the early settlers used people from British territories, particularly Asia, as navigators. In 1838, Joseph Bruce and John Gleeson brought out 18 of the first "Afghans", who arrived in the colony of South Australia in 1838. The first camel, which became known as "Harry", arrived at
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
in 1840 and was used in an 1846 expedition by John Horrocks. It proved its worth as a pack animal, but unfortunately caused Horrocks' death by accidental shooting so was later put down. Camels had been used successfully in
desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
exploration in other parts of the world, but by 1859, only seven camels had been imported into Australia. In 1858
George James Landells George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
, who was known for exporting horses to India, was commissioned by the Victorian Exploration Committee to buy camels and recruit camel drivers. Eight (or three) cameleers arrived in Melbourne from Karachi on the ship ''Chinsurah'' on 9 June 1860 with a shipment of 24 camels for the Burke and Wills expedition. These were used in the Burke and Wills expeditions. In 1866 Samuel Stuckey went to Karachi, and imported more than 100 camels as well as 31 men. In the 1860s, about 3,000 camel drivers came to Australia from Afghanistan and the Indian sub-continent, along with more camels. Although the cameleers came from different ethnic groups and a range of regions - mostly Baluchistan, Kashmir, Sind and Punjab (parts of present-day Pakistan, Afghanistan, north-western India and eastern Iran), with a few from Egypt and Turkey, they were known collectively as Afghans, later shortened to "Ghans". Ethnic groups included Pashtun, Punjabi, Baloch (or Baluch) and Sindhis (from the region between the southern Hindu Kush in Afghanistan and the
Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...
in what is now Pakistan) as well as others (fewer in number) from
Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
, Rajasthan, Egypt, Persia and Turkey. Most practised Islam, and many blended this with their local customs, in particular the Pashtun code of honour.


Use of camels

Before the building of railways and the widespread adoption of motor vehicles, camels were the primary means of transporting goods in the Outback, where the climate was too harsh for horses and other beasts of burden. From 1850 to 1900, the cameleers played an important part in opening up
Central Australia Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and i ...
, helping to build the
Australian Overland Telegraph Line The Australian Overland Telegraph Line was a telegraphy system to send messages over long distances using cables and electric signals. It spanned between Darwin, in what is now the Northern Territory of Australia, and Adelaide, the capital o ...
between Adelaide and
Darwin Darwin may refer to: Common meanings * Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection * Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...
and also the railways. The camels hauled the supplies and their handlers erected fences, acted as guides for several major expeditions, and supplied almost every inland mine or station with its goods and services. The majority of cameleers arrived in Australia alone, leaving wives and families behind, to work on three-year contracts. Those who were not given living quarters on a station (such as on Thomas Elder's Beltana), generally lived away from white populations, at first in camps, and later in "Ghantowns" near existing settlements. A thriving Afghan community lived at
Marree, South Australia Marree (formerly Hergott Springs) is a small town located in the north of South Australia. It lies North of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide at the junction of the Oodnadatta Track and the Birdsville Track, above sea level. Marree is an important ...
(then also known as Hergott Springs) leading to the nicknames "Little Asia" or "Little Afghanistan". When rail reached Oodnadatta, the caravans travelled between there and
Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
(formerly known as Stuart). There were
caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...
s for the camel caravans travelling from Queensland, New South Wales and Alice Springs. There was more acceptance by the local Aboriginal people, and some cameleers married local Aboriginal women and started families in Australia. However some married European women, and writer
Ernestine Hill Ernestine Hill (21 January 1899 — 21 August 1972) was an Australian journalist, travel writer and novelist. Life Born Mary Ernestine Hemmings in Rockhampton, Queensland, she attended All Hallows' School in Brisbane, and then Stott & Hoa ...
wrote of white women who had joined the Afghan community and converted to Islam, even making the pilgrimage to Mecca. In 1873 Mahomet Saleh accompanied explorer
Peter Warburton Colonel Peter Egerton-Warburton (16 August 1813 – 5 November 1889), often referred to as Major Warburton, was a British military officer, Commissioner of Police for South Australia, and an Australian explorer. In 1872 he sealed his legacy th ...
to Western Australia. Three Afghans helped
William Christie Gosse William Christie Gosse (11 December 1842–12 August 1881), was an Australian explorer, who was born in Hoddesdon,"Gosse, William Christie (1842–1881)". ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Online Edition. Australian National University ...
to find a way from the
Finke River The Finke River, or ''Larapinta'' (Arrernte), is a river in central Australia, one of four main rivers of the Lake Eyre Basin and thought to be the oldest riverbed in the world. It flows for only a few days a year and when this happens, its wate ...
to Perth. Two years later Saleh assisted
Ernest Giles William Ernest Powell Giles (20 July 1835 – 13 November 1897), best known as Ernest Giles, was an Australian explorer who led five major expeditions to parts of South Australia and Western Australia. Early life Ernest Giles was born in Bris ...
on an expedition, and J.W. Lewis used camels when surveying the country north-east of Lake Eyre in 1874 and 1875. In the 1880s, camels were used by police in northern South Australia for the collection of statistics and census forms as well as other kinds of work, and the Marree police used camels on patrol until 1949. At Finke/Aputula, just over the border in the Northern Territory, the last camel police patrol was in 1953. Se
Territory Stories
for details of document
In the 1890s, camels were used extensively in the Western Australian Goldfields to transport food, water, machinery and other supplies. In 1898 there were 300 Muslims in Coolgardie. During the Federation Drought, which devastated eastern Australia from 1895 to 1902, the camels and their drivers were indispensable. John Edwards wrote to the Attorney-General in 1902: "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...would have practically ceased to exist".


Success and discrimination

By the turn of the century, Muslim entrepreneurs dominated the camel business, including Fuzzly Ahmed (
Port Augusta Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a port, seaport, it is now a road traffic and Junction (rail), railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about ...
–Oodnadatta, then
Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...
) and
Faiz Mahomet Faiz Mahomet (c. 1848 – 1910), was an Afghan cameleer who migrated to Australia in 1870. He worked in South Australia and Western Australia, including in partnership with his brother Tagh Mahomet, and laid the foundation stone for the Perth Mo ...
(Marree and Coolgardie). Abdul Wade (also known as Wadi, Wabed, Wahid) was especially successful in New South Wales, and bought and set up the Wangamanna station as a camel breeding and carrying business. He married the widow Emily Ozadelle and they had seven children. Wade worked hard at fitting in and being seen as an equal to his Australian peers, dressing in the European style, educating his children at top private schools and becoming a naturalised citizen. However his attempts were ridiculed and at the end of the camel era, he sold up and returned to Afghanistan. By 1901, there were an estimated 2000–4000 cameleers in Australia. Many of them made regular trips home to deal with family matters. While outback settlers, farmers and others who had dealings with the Afghans often vouched for them, finding that they held many values in common, prejudice arose and discriminatory legislation was introduced by colonial, state and federal governments in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One example was a 1895 law which prevented Afghans from mining on the WA goldfields, after tensions arose between the communities and Afghans were accused of polluting waterholes (although no evidence was ever found for this). In ''The Ballad of Abdul Wade'' (2022), author Ryan Butta tells of how Abdul Wade was attacked by people who saw him as a threat to their business interests, despite his contributions to the community, including offering hundreds of his camels to add to Australia's contribution to World War I in 1914. Cameleers saved
Cunnamulla Cunnamulla () is a town and a locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. It is south of Charleville, and approximately west of the state capital, Brisbane. In the , Cunnamulla had a population of 1,140 people. Geography Cunnamulla ...
residents from "semi-starvation" after floods cut the town off from all other modes of transport in 1890. Yet in 1892, ''
The Bulletin Bulletin or The Bulletin may refer to: Periodicals (newspapers, magazines, journals) * Bulletin (online newspaper), a Swedish online newspaper * ''The Bulletin'' (Australian periodical), an Australian magazine (1880–2008) ** Bulletin Debate, ...
'' published an editorial saying "the imported Asiatic... is another cheap labour curse in a land where such curses are already much too plentiful". Many cameleers were refused naturalisation and found themselves refused entry when they tried to return to Australia after visits home, based on the '' Immigration Restriction Act 1901''. In 1903 a petition was raised about a number of discriminatory practices, but nothing came of it.


The last of the cameleers

Through the 1930s and 1940s, with no employment and sometimes a hostile community, many cameleers returned to their homelands, but others remained and developed trades and other means of making a living. In 1952, a small number of "ancient, turbaned men," supposedly as old as 117, were to be found at the Adelaide mosque. It is recorded that the first person to make a deposit, his life savings of £29, in the newly-formed Savings Bank of South Australia on 11 March 1848 was "an Afghan shepherd", with his name recorded as "Croppo Sing".


Impact and legacy

From the mid 1800s through to the early 1900s, camels and cameleers were significant contributors to the
wool industry Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As an ...
, the mining industry, the construction of the Overland Telegraph and the rabbit-proof fence, and transporting water to wherever it was needed. However, even though the Afghans' help was greatly appreciated, they were also subject to discrimination because of their religion and appearance, and because of the competition they provided to European bullock ( ox) and horse teamsters. Many of the European competitors were also cameleers, and in 1903 a European camel train owner in Wilcannia replaced all of his Afghan camel drivers with Europeans. Author Ryan Butta has highlighted the fact that the cameleers were rendered invisible in some of the popular mythologies and histories of Australia, such as Banjo Paterson's work. Paterson spent time in Bourke at the time the cameleers were an active part of the community and business there, yet did not write about them. The passenger train which travels between Adelaide and
Darwin Darwin may refer to: Common meanings * Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection * Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...
is known as " The Ghan" (formerly ''
The Afghan Express ''The Ghan'' is an experiential tourism oriented passenger train service that operates between the northern and southern coasts of Australia, through the cities of Adelaide, Alice Springs and Darwin on the Adelaide–Darwin rail corridor. O ...
'') as a reference to the service the Afghans provided to the areas through which the train travels. After their use was superseded by modern transport, many camels were shot by police, but some cameleers released their camels into the wild rather than allow them to be shot, and a large population of feral camels remains from this time. Date palms, planted wherever the Afghans went, are another legacy of the cameleers. Another, understudied, legacy of the cameleers is the traces of Sufism introduced across Australia, evident in the remaining artefacts, particularly prayer beads, some books, and letters belonging to the cameleers.


Descendants

A fourth-generation descendant of a Baluch cameleer who settled in Geraldton, Western Australia, set up a sheep station and married an Aboriginal woman, is proud of her heritage on both sides. She says that it was difficult for her ancestor to acquire permanent residence and permission to marry, but the Afghans were honourable men who preferred to marry rather than rape local women. Several descendants in Adelaide formed the Australian Outback Afghan Camelmen Descendants and Friends Memorial Committee, which organised a memorial in 2007. They included Janice Taverner (née Mahomet), Mona Wilson (née Akbar), Eric Sultan, Abdul Bejah (son of Jack Bejah and grandson of
Dervish Bejah Dervish Bejah Jakhrani Baloch (1862–1957), also known as Bejah Dervish, or simply Dervish, was an "Afghan" camel driver who played a significant role in the exploration and development of outback Australia, before settling in Marree, South Au ...
), Lil Hassan (née Fazulla), and Don Aziz. Marree still has the longest-surviving "Ghantown", and many descendants of the original cameleers still live there.


Memorials

There is a memorial at
Whitmore Square, Adelaide Whitmore Square, also known as Iparrityi (formerly Ivaritji), is one of five public squares in the Adelaide city centre, South Australia. Occupying 2.4ha (24,000 m2), it is located at the junction of Sturt and Morphett Streets in the south-wes ...
which pays homage to the city's Afghan camel drivers, called ''Voyagers'' and created by South Australian artist Shaun Kirby and his company Thylacine Art Projects. It was unveiled on the night of 11 December 2007, so that the lighting of the sculpture could be appreciated. It is in the shape of a crescent, evocative of
sand dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...
s in the deserts of South Australia as well as the Hilal (crescent moon) associated with Islam. The curved wall is covered with handmade rippled tiles, produced at the JamFactory. There is a red metalwork decorative screen with traditional Islamic patterning on the front of the crescent. The memorial does not have a plaque, but there is a small stone obelisk in front of the crescent wall with Arabic writing. There is also a bronze plaque honouring
Bejah Dervish Dervish Bejah Jakhrani Baloch (1862–1957), also known as Bejah Dervish, or simply Dervish, was an "Afghan" camel driver who played a significant role in the exploration and development of outback Australia, before settling in Marree, South A ...
on the
Jubilee 150 Walkway The Jubilee 150 Walkway, also variously known as the Jubilee 150 Commemorative Walk, the Jubilee 150 Walk, Jubilee 150 Plaques, the Jubilee Walk, or simply J150, is a series of (initially) 150 bronze plaques set into the pavement of Nort ...
on North Terrace. It reads "Dervish Bejah, c1862-1957, Camel-driver, explorer". A commemorative plaque for Faiz and Tagh Mahomet on
St Georges Terrace St Georges Terrace (colloquially known as "The Terrace") is the main street in the city of Perth, Western Australia. It runs parallel to the Swan River and forms the major arterial road through the central business district. Its western e ...
in Perth acknowledges their contributions as camel owners and drivers in the 1890s in opening up the interior of Western Australia before the building of the railway.


In film

*A 2020 documentary, ''The Afghan Cameleers in Australia'', directed by Afghan/Australian filmmaker Fahim Hashimy, explores and records the relationships that many cameleers formed with Aboriginal women, and their descendants. *The drama feature film, '' The Furnace'' is set during the gold rushes in Western Australia and highlights the roles of Afghan cameleers.


Mosques

At first a special room set aside in someone's house served as places of prayer, but as time went on, the Muslim communities wanted to have dedicated places of worship. At Marree, an important junction of the camel trade, the Afghan cameleers built the earliest mosque in Australia in 1861, a simple mud and tin-roofed building, but this subsequently fell into disuse and was demolished. Over time, as some members of the Afghan community prospered through trade and camel breeding, they contributed towards the building of the oldest permanent mosque in Australia, the
Central Adelaide Mosque The Central Adelaide Mosque, also known as Adelaide City Mosque or Adelaide Mosque, and formerly known as the Afghan Chapel, is a mosque located in Adelaide, South Australia. The mosque was built in 1888–1889, with its four distinctive minare ...
in 1888–89. The
Perth Mosque Perth Mosque, located in Perth, Western Australia is the oldest mosque in Perth and the second oldest purpose-built mosque in Australia. History The mosque was designed and built between 1905 and 1906. Din Mohammed drew up the designs and the ...
, which dates from 1905, was paid for by fund-raising efforts throughout the WA Muslim community, much of it instigated by the highly educated businessman Mohamed Hasan Musakhan (also known as Hassan Musa Khan) and the cameleer Faiz Mahomet. In 1910 there were also mosques in Coolgardie, Mount Malcolm, Leonora, Bummers Creek, Mount Sir Samuel and
Mount Magnet Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...
(all in WA).


Notable people

*
Dervish Bejah Dervish Bejah Jakhrani Baloch (1862–1957), also known as Bejah Dervish, or simply Dervish, was an "Afghan" camel driver who played a significant role in the exploration and development of outback Australia, before settling in Marree, South Au ...
(or Bejah Dervish) (1862 – 1957), who had been decorated for his military service, led his community in Marree. He came from
Baluchistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
, and later took part with
Lawrence Wells Lawrence Allen "Larry" Wells (30 April 1860 – 11 May 1938), frequently spelled Laurence Allen Wells, was an Australian explorer. Wells was born at Yallum Station near Penola, South Australia and grew up in the Mount Gambier, South Australia ...
in the Calvert Expedition of 1896. He is commemorated by a plaque in the
Jubilee 150 Walkway The Jubilee 150 Walkway, also variously known as the Jubilee 150 Commemorative Walk, the Jubilee 150 Walk, Jubilee 150 Plaques, the Jubilee Walk, or simply J150, is a series of (initially) 150 bronze plaques set into the pavement of Nort ...
in Adelaide. * Dost Mahomed (1825 – 1885), son of Mulla Mohamed Jullah of Gaznee, was a Pashtun who had served as a
sepoy ''Sepoy'' () was the Persian-derived designation originally given to a professional Indian infantryman, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its oth ...
in the British Indian Army. Recruited by Landells for the Burke and Wills expedition, he was one of the first eight cameleers who arrived in Melbourne from Karachi on the ship ''Chinsurah'' on 9 June 1860 and the oldest cameleer in the party. He went with Burke from
Menindee Menindee (frequently but erroneously spelled "Menindie" ) is a small town in the far west of New South Wales, Australia, in Central Darling Shire, on the banks of the Darling River, with a sign-posted population of 980 and a population of 551. ...
to Cooper Creek, where he waited with
William Brahe William is a male given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norm ...
's party, helping to feed them with ducks and fish. He also participated in Howitt's Victorian Relief Expedition, to recover the bodies of Burke and wills, and it was during this journey that he was bitten badly by a bull camel, causing him loss of use of his right arm. He then worked in a market garden in Menindee, dying in the early 1880s. *
Dost Mahomet Dost Mahomet (1873 – 1909), sometimes spelt Dost Mohammad, was a Baloch "Afghan" cameleer in Australia. He used his animals to transport goods between the ports and remote inland mining and pastoral settlements of the Goldfields, Pilbara ...
(1873 – 1909) was a Baloch cameleer who worked the WA goldfields in the late 1890s. **There was also Dost Mahomed (b.1878, Baluchistan) who worked at Port Hedland in 1904, and Dost Mahomed (b.1881, India) who arrived in Australia in 1898 and returned home several times between 1914 and 1931. *
Faiz Mahomet Faiz Mahomet (c. 1848 – 1910), was an Afghan cameleer who migrated to Australia in 1870. He worked in South Australia and Western Australia, including in partnership with his brother Tagh Mahomet, and laid the foundation stone for the Perth Mo ...
(1848 – 1910) operated a camel station in South Australia, before opening camel stations in a number of locations in Western Australia in partnership with his brother Tagh. He assisted in raising funds for the construction of the
Perth Mosque Perth Mosque, located in Perth, Western Australia is the oldest mosque in Perth and the second oldest purpose-built mosque in Australia. History The mosque was designed and built between 1905 and 1906. Din Mohammed drew up the designs and the ...
and laid its foundation stone on 13 November 1905. * Gool Mohomet or Gul Muhammed (1865–1950), who married Frenchwoman Adrienne Lesire, owned a station and later became Imam at Adelaide Mosque. *Haji Mulla Merban came from Kandahar to Port Darwin in the early days. He became a leader of the camel drivers working for the Overland Telegraph Line, eventually settling in Adelaide. He married a European woman and was known as a peace maker, once settling a dispute between Abdul Wade and Gunny Khan, two wealthy camel owners. He also became the first
mullah Mullah (; ) is an honorific title for Shia and Sunni Muslim clergy or a Muslim mosque leader. The term is also sometimes used for a person who has higher education in Islamic theology and sharia law. The title has also been used in some Miz ...
(spiritual leader) of the Afghan community in SA at the Adelaide Mosque. He was buried at Coolgardie in 1897. * Hassan Musa Khan (30 May 1863 – 1939), well-educated and multi-lingual, ran a bookshop, founded the
Perth Mosque Perth Mosque, located in Perth, Western Australia is the oldest mosque in Perth and the second oldest purpose-built mosque in Australia. History The mosque was designed and built between 1905 and 1906. Din Mohammed drew up the designs and the ...
and later lived in Adelaide. *
Mahomet Allum Mohamet Allum ( – 21 March 1964), also known as Muhammad Alam Khan and nicknamed "The Wonder Man", was an Afghan herbalist based in Adelaide, South Australia. He arrived as one of the Afghan cameleers brought into Australia to work on the ca ...
(1858 – 1964), herbalist and philanthropist, who settled in Adelaide and became known as "the wonder man". *
Monga Khan Monga Khan ( phr, ; 1870–1930) was a Muslim immigrant and hawker from British India (now Pakistan) who sold local and imported goods in Victoria, Australia. He travelled to Australia in search of work, although he was not one of the many men fro ...
(1870 – 1930) was a "licensed hawker" of imported goods based in Victoria. According to research by Len Kenna, Khan was originally from Bathroi, a village in Dadyal Tehsil, Mirpur, Azad Kashmir. His 1916 portrait (as recorded in the
National Archives of Australia The National Archives of Australia (NAA), formerly known as the Commonwealth Archives Office and Australian Archives, is an Australian Government agency that serves as the national archives of the nation. It collects, preserves and encourages ...
) was used in 2016 by Australian artist Peter Drew to create a poster campaign called "Real Aussies Say Welcome". This project was followed by the book and
ebook An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...
"''The Legend of Monga Khan: An Aussie Folk Hero''", which includes illustrations, poems and short stories. * Mullah Abdullah (1855 – 1 January 1915), one of two perpetrators of an attack known as the
Battle of Broken Hill The Battle of Broken Hill was a fatal incident which took place in Australia near Broken Hill, New South Wales, on 1 January 1915. Two men shot dead four people and wounded seven more, before being killed by police and military officers. Thou ...
in 1915, in which the former cameleers shot four people dead and wounded seven more, before being killed themselves. The other man was Gool Badsha Mahomed, not to be confused with Gool Mohomet of Adelaide below. *Abdul Kadir was the leader of the community in Oodnadatta. *Abdul Wade, a young Afghan man who brought his camels to the outback in the 1890s *Fuzzly Ahmed (
Port Augusta Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a port, seaport, it is now a road traffic and Junction (rail), railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about ...
Oodnadatta, then
Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...
) *Hector Mahomet, Peer Mahomet and Charlie Sadadeen were well known on the Oodnadatta track. Jones (2007) has "A biographical listing of Australia's Muslim cameleers" (which includes Sikhs), representing "more than half of the total number of cameleers and other Muslim men from south Asia who worked in Australia during the era of camel transport", on pages 166–191.


See also

*
Afghan Australian Afghan Australians ( prs, استرالیایی های افغان‌تبار ''Ostorâliyâi-hāye Afghān tabar'', ps, د اسټرالیا افغانان ''Da Asṭrālyā Afghanan'') are Australians tied to Afghanistan either by birth or by ...
*
Afghan Rock Balladonia is a small roadhouse community located on the Eyre Highway in Western Australia. It is the first stop east of Norseman on the journey east across the Nullarbor Plain. Between Balladonia and Caiguna is a stretch of the highway whi ...
, a place in WA where two cameleers were shot and killed *
Ahmadiyya in Australia Ahmadiyya is an Islamic movement in Australia, first formally founded in the country in the 1980s, during the era of the fourth caliph. However, the history of the Community dates back to the early 20th century, during the lifetime of the found ...
*
Battle of Broken Hill The Battle of Broken Hill was a fatal incident which took place in Australia near Broken Hill, New South Wales, on 1 January 1915. Two men shot dead four people and wounded seven more, before being killed by police and military officers. Thou ...
*
Demography of Afghanistan The population of Afghanistan is around 40 million as of 2021. The nation is composed of a multi-ethnic and multilingual society, reflecting its location astride historic trade and invasion routes between Central Asia, South Asia, and Western ...
*
Indian Australians all of this entry re immigration is a complete fabrication Indian Australians or Indo-Australians are Australians of Indian ancestry. This includes both those who are Australian by birth, and those born in India or elsewhere in the Indian d ...
* Pakistani Australians * Islam in Australia *
Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin Overseas Indians (IAST: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) are Indians who live outside of the Republic of India. According to the Government of India, ''Non-Resident Indians'' are citizens of Indi ...
*
Pashtun diaspora The Pashtun diaspora comprises all ethnic Pashtuns and their descendants who are living outside of their traditional homeland of Pashtunistan, a historic region that is today situated over parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. While Pashtunistan ...
* United States Camel Corps


References


Further reading

* * - Story of Sikh hawker Siva Singh * - Cameleers in WA *
Online version of 2010 ed. at Google Books
Over half available online - includes short biographies of a large number of cameleers.) * * * * Many names and further info *{{cite web, url=http://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1166&c=7274, series=SA Memory, website=State Library of South Australia, title=Afghan handlers and camels Photo with information and bibliography
Bibliography on Camels and Cameleers at the Northern Territory Library.


(South Australian History: Flinders Ranges Research)

(ABC TV broadcast transcript, 1 November 2004 - George Negus)
''Pioneering Afghans'' from Bushmag.
Asian Australian Islam in Australia Pakistani diaspora in Australia Exploration of Australia Transport in Australia Afghan Australian Camel drivers Social history of Australia