Height
4 meters
Year Built
1984
Address
Stuart Highway, Stuarts Well, NT 0872
The Lowdown
The Big Camel at Stuarts Well celebrates the remarkable contribution of camels to Australian history - the tough, desert-adapted animals that carried supplies across the vast outback when no other transport could survive. This impressive sculpture captures the camel's distinctive humped silhouette, honoring the animals and their Afghan handlers (called 'Afghans' though many came from Pakistan and India) who opened up inland Australia. Stuarts Well's Camel Farm continues this heritage, offering rides on descendants of those original working camels. Australia now has the world's largest population of wild camels - over a million feral animals descended from those released when motor vehicles made them redundant.
Did you know?
"The famous 'Ghan' railway is named after the Afghan cameleers"
History
The Big Camel was erected in 1984 at Stuarts Well Camel Farm, continuing a tradition that dates back to the 1840s when the first camels were imported to Australia. The 'Ghan' railway that now runs from Adelaide to Darwin is named after the Afghan cameleers who pioneered the route. When motor vehicles replaced camels in the 1920s, thousands were released into the wild, and Australia now has the world's largest feral camel population.
More Fun Facts
- •Australia has over 1 million feral camels - the world's largest wild population
- •Camels were essential for building the Overland Telegraph Line
- •The famous 'Ghan' railway is named after the Afghan cameleers
- •Cameleers came from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Egypt
- •Australian camels are exported to the Middle East for racing and meat
Visiting Tips
- 💡Take a camel ride - it's a quintessential outback experience
- 💡Stuarts Well is a good rest stop between Alice Springs and Uluru
- 💡The roadhouse has cold drinks and outback hospitality
- 💡Look for wild camels along the Stuart Highway
- 💡Dawn and dusk are the best times for desert photography
Opening Hours
Camel farm hours. The Big Camel itself is visible from the highway.
More Big Things Nearby
Big Stubby
An oversized replica of the legendary NT Draught 2.27-litre stubby bottle, accompanied by a pink panther with its own beer.
The Anmatjere Man
A 17-meter tall Aboriginal stockman statue at Aileron, NT, one of Australia's most striking roadside sculptures.
The Big Abalone
A giant abalone shell at coastal fishing communities celebrating this prized seafood.