Camels find unlikely home in outback Australia
Far from their origins in the Arabian desert, hundreds of thousands of camels roam outback Australia, where they are used for wild races, an alternative milk source and even to make beer.
Camels have found an unexpected home in the Australian outback, where they serve various purposes. Imported by British colonists in the 19th century for transport, the animals were eventually abandoned when cars became more common. Australia's current camel population is estimated to range from 300,000 to 1 million, with many feral camels roaming the outback and causing issues by competing with livestock for food, damaging fences, fouling waterholes, and causing harm to Indigenous cultural sites.
Domesticated camels, however, present a modest export market, with farmers selling their milk and even whole camels, which have been exported to Malaysia and Indonesia. Camel milk, valued for its health benefits, especially for those with allergies, is sold at a premium price of A$20 ($14) per liter. In South Australia, camel milk is produced on the Humpalicious farm, which supplements its income from camels with tourism and a homestay.
The farm also uses camel dung to smoke the malt for beer, which is sold in a dark brown bottle labeled with a picture of a camel dressed as the Virgin Mary. Camel racing is also popular in remote towns, such as Marree, where hundreds of spectators gather for the annual Marree Camel Cup.
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