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This superbly illustrated book brings to life the vital role that Muslim cameleers from Afghanistan and British India played in pioneering transport and communication routes across outback Australia's vast expanses. European exploration and settlement of inland Australia depended heavily on the expertise of these cameleers. During the late 19th century their network of transport routes opened up the arid interior. More efficient than bullock or horse teamsters, the cameleers were in great demand. They helped construct the Overland Telegraph Line and inland railways, took part in exploration expeditions, and supplied mining towns and pastoral stations. The cameleers' small Muslim communities were a feature of Australian outback towns for more than 50 years. But when motor transport reached the region during the 1920s, the era of the cameleers ended. Australia's Muslim Cameleers is a rich pictorial history of these men, their religious and cultural life, and their relations with Indigenous and European Australians. Many of the images and artefacts in this fascinating account are published here for the first time. The book contains a biographical listing of more than 1200 cameleers.
Written by Philip Jones and Anna Kenny, the book @$39.95 is available from ***
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