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Norseman and Camels, WA.

Camel teams were a common sight in and around Norseman at the turn of the century. Not only were they favored by prospectors but they were also much involved with the installation and upkeep of the East-West telegraph line, undertaking maintenance patrols well into the 1920s. Camels also transported household goods and mining equipment, and played a major role in the fledgling wool industry on the Nullarbor Plain hauling wagon loads from inland stations to the coast of Israelite Bay or to the rail-head in Norseman. The wide main street in Norseman is a direct result of the part camel teams had in those early years, the width being determined by the turning circle of a camel train. In 1895, John Aspinall, a young New Zealand prospector bought two camels for 134 pounds in Coolgardie and also engaged Amzula, a cameleer, at 30/- a week plus tucker. Writing in his diary, Aspinal noted that: 'It is certainly surprising what you can pack on a camel ... it is only necessary to see a camel loaded up with billies, buckets, picks, shovels and other gear to recognise his general utility. There are corners and recesses all over for tying on small things and water bags are hung on his neck, giving him the appearance of a walking caravan. A camel is made to lie down by pulling the noseline and saying "Hoostah-sh-sh-sh-sh-h-h!" At this point, especially if a few oriental imprecations are added, he suddenly plumps down on his knees, and majestically lowers the hind proportions of his body. Making him get up does not require the knowledge of any barbarous language, a rousing kick in the ribs being the simplest method ...' It was not only prospectors like Aspinall who engaged the services of the Afghan cameleers. Mining companies, private businesses, pastoralists and government agencies regularly contracted the Afghans to haul all manner of goods, over vast and waterless distances. The first time the explorer Giles used camels he travelled 220 miles in eight days without giving water to the camels. The very big camel teams in WA consisted of 70 camels and 4 Afghans. Normally they travelled between 20 and 25 miles a day in desert country. Camels are sometimes known as 'Ships of the Desert' due to their swaying walking style. Camel teams would collectively carry between 16 and 20 tons on their backs. A large bull camel was expected to carry up to 12 hundredweight (600 kg), and smaller camels from 6 to 8 hundredweight (300-400 kg)

Information From display boards around the corrugated iron camels crossing a roundabout in Norseman.

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