2020 50c ANDA Melbourne Afghan Cameleers of The Outback PNC

From the mid-19th to the early 20th century, thousands of Muslim immigrants from Afghanistan, India and modern-day Pakistan were brought to Australia to tend the camel trains that helped open up the country’s vast arid interior. On 9 June 1860, 24 camels and three cameleers arrived at Port Melbourne to join the pioneering Burke and Wills expedition. By 1901 there were an estimated 4,000 cameleers, generally known as “Afghans”, in the county. The camel trains accompanied exploratory expeditions and were vital in almost every major inland development project.