Afghan ( Australia ) - Wikipedia Afghan ( Australia ) This article is about early camel drivers in Australian history. For Australians of Afghan origin, see Afghan Australians. For other uses, see Afghan ( disambiguation ). Part of a series on Islam in Australia History Early history Makassan Traders Afghan cameleers Battle of Broken Hill Contemporary society Halal certification in Australia Islamophobia in Australia Mosques List of mosques Lakemba Mosque Auburn Gallipoli Mosque Marree Mosque Central Adelaide Mosque Baitul Huda Mosque Organisations Islamic organisations in Australia LMA ICV ANIC AFIC AMC ANIC ICQ MWA MWNNA Groups Afghan Albanian Arab Bangladeshi Bosnian Indian Indonesian Iranian Iraqi Lebanese Malay Pakistani Turkish Events National Mosque Open Day People Prominent Australian Muslims Ibrahim Abu Mohamed Grave of Afghan camel caravanner Zeriph Khan ( 1871 - 1903 ) at Bourke Cemetery, New South Wales Australia The Adelaide Mosque ( 1888 - 89 ) in Little Gilbert Street, Adelaide Adelaide Mosque historic plaque The `` Afghans '' or `` Ghans '' were camel caravanners who worked in Outback Australia from the 1860s to the 1930s. They included Pashtun, Punjabi, Baloch and Sindhi men from the region between the southern Hindu Kush in Afghanistan and the Indus River in what is now Pakistan, as well as others from Kashmir, Rajasthan, Egypt, Persia and Turkey. Besides providing vital support to exploration and settlement of the arid interior of the country, these cameleers played a major role in establishing Islam in Australia, building the country 's first mosque at Marree in South Australia. Contents 1 History 2 Impact 2.1 Establishment of mosques 3 Notable people 4 See also 5 References 6 External links History The first Afghan cameleers arrived in Melbourne in June 1860, when three men arrived with a shipment of 24 camels for the Burke and Wills expedition. Afghans without camels are reported to have reached Australia as early as 1838. Before the building of railways and the widespread adoption of motor vehicles, camels were the primary means of bulk transport in the Outback, where the climate was too harsh for horses and other beasts of burden. After their use was superseded by modern transport, some cameleers released their camels into the wild, and a large population of feral camels remains from this time. From 1850 - 1900, Afghani camel handlers played an important part in opening up Central Australia, helping in building of telegraph and railway lines. They also helped the growth of Muslims in Australia before 1850. Impact Even though the Afghans ' help was greatly appreciated they were also subject to discrimination because of their religion and appearance, and because of the competition they provided to European bullock teamsters. Many of those European competitors were also cameleers and in 1903 a European camel train proprietor of Wilcannia replaced all of his Afghan camel drivers with Europeans. The passenger train which travels between Adelaide and Darwin is known as `` The Ghan '' ( formerly The Afghan Express ) as a reference to the service the Afghans provided to the areas through which the train travels. The total number of Afghans to settle in Australia was approximately 3,000, with over 2,000 arriving between 1870 and 1900. Establishment of Mosques At Marree, an important junction of the camel trade, the Afghan cameleers built the earliest mosque in Australia in 1861, but this subsequently fell into disuse and was demolished. Over time as some members of the Afghan community prospered through trade and camel breeding, they contributed towards the building of the oldest permanent mosque in Australia, in Adelaide in 1888 -- 89, as well as the Perth mosque, which dates from 1905. Notable people Dervish Bejah Dost Mahomet Ben Barba See also Afghan Australian Ahmadiyya in Australia Indian Australians Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin Pashtun diaspora Demography of Afghanistan Battle of Broken Hill References Jump up ^ Westrip, J. & Holroyde, P. ( 2010 ) : Colonial Cousins : a surprising history of connections between India and Australia. Wakefield Press. ISBN 1862548412, p. 175. ^ Jump up to : australia.gov.au > About Australia > Australian Stories > Afghan cameleers in Australia Accessed 8 May 2014. Jump up ^ Flinders Range Research - The Afghan Camelmen Jump up ^ National Advocate newspaper, 17 April 1903, page 2. Jump up ^ Afghan Express Jump up ^ Weekend Notes > Adelaide City Afghan Mosque Accessed 8 May 2014. Jump up ^ Westrip & Holroyde & p. 193. Stevens, Christine ( 2003 ) ( 1989 ). Tin Mosques and Ghan Towns : A History of Afghan Camel Drivers in Australia. ISBN 0 - 9581760 - 0 - 0. External links Bibliography on Camels and Cameleers at the Northern Territory Library. Flinders Ranges Research > The Afghan Camelmen Accessed 8 May 2014. ABC TV > George Negus Tonight > Afghan Cameleers Broadcast transcript, 1 November 2004. Accessed 8 May 2014. Pioneering Afghans from Bushmag. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Afghan_(Australia)&oldid=820833882 '' Categories : Asian Australian Islam in Australia Pakistani diaspora in Australia Exploration of Australia Transport in Australia Afghan diaspora Camel drivers Social history of Australia Hidden categories : Use Australian English from January 2015 All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English Use dmy dates from January 2015 Talk Contents About Wikipedia فارسی Français Italiano پښتو Русский Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 16 January 2018, at 21 : 48. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. 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Question: when did the first afghan cameleers arrive in australia
Answer: June 1860