21/08/2025
Did you know Australia has a long and surprising history with camels?
Most people in WA don’t realise that camel racing is actually HUGE over east. The Alice Springs Camel Cup and the Boulia Camel Races (often called the Melbourne Cup of camel racing) attract thousands every year, with camels thundering across the red dirt in 1,500m sprints.
Camels were first brought to Australia in the 1800s to help explorers cross the deserts. They could travel further than horses without water and carry huge loads. Today, we actually have the largest wild camel population in the world — even more than Arabia! In fact, Australian camels are so pure and disease-free that some have been exported back to the Middle East for breeding stock.
But here’s the part that really blew me away...
During World War I, Australian camels even went to war. Our soldiers joined the Imperial Camel Corps, fighting in Egypt, Sinai, and Palestine. Camels carried supplies, ammunition, and troops across terrain where horses couldn’t survive. Their endurance gave Allied forces a huge advantage in the desert campaigns against the Ottoman Empire.
From helping explorers, to racing in the Outback, to serving in wartime — camels have played a bigger role in Australian history than most of us realise. 🐪🇦🇺
