Meet Your Camel

Our camel ‘Pixie’ moved to Pyndan Camel Tracks following her race debut at the Alice Springs Camel Cup in 2010. Already a mother by the age four, Pixie was caught wild in the northern Simpson Desert. Pixie is our biggest smoocher. For anyone who wants to kiss a camel, Pixie is your gal! Pixie is light on her feet, calm and gentle yet may roar at the cameleers with deep, throaty moans and groans. Pixie often leads the camel train. She travels to events and fairs for short camel rides.

Our camel ‘Good Boy’ was born around 1993 in the Simpson Desert. When he first arrived at Pyndan Camel Tracks he liked to saunter around the yards and bellow at the other camels when they tried to play with him. Now he is our oldest camel and is calm and quiet. In 2014 he broke his jaw on both sides and has recovered completely. Camels can drink about 113 litres (30 gallons) of water in just 13 minutes.

Our camel ‘Cookie’ arrived wild in 2012 from Walkabout Bore NT near Rainbow Valley in the northern Simpson Desert. Already he is tall, statuesque and may grow up to 2 metres (6.5ft). He is super intelligent. He joined the camel train in 2014. He is very handsome with light caramel wool coat, big eyes, long lashes and full lips. He can also act cheeky, headstrong and coolly insouciant. Our epicurean Cookie is a gourmond, always seeking out the best food including mischievously nibbling the other camel’s tails and butts. He’s the funster of the herd. Cookie likes to give a few bellows to greet his camel riders! His long eyelashes protect his eyes against blowing sand. His large hump does not store water but is actually a reservoir for fatty tissue.

Our camel ‘Tjala’ grew up on Mulga Park Station on the Northern Territory and South Australian border. Her name means honey ant in Pitjantjatjara, from the Aboriginal language spoken around the border. Her golden red coat has the hue of a honey ant. Our Tjala is the sanctimonious diva of the team. She talks back to the cameleers in low throaty growls and bellows. Her son, Milo, was born at Pyndan Camel Tracks in 2010, the same year she joined our herd. She started taking people for rides in 2015.

Shadow, born near Boulia, QLD joined our team in 2018. He had a sad childhood, mistreated by his original owners with injuries to his jaw, legs and torso. Jockey Glenda Sutton rescued him in 2014, taught him to trust people and trained him to race. ‘In-A-Hurry’, his racing name, competed for only one season in 20017 and then, due to his anxiety, Glenda asked us to give him a home. Today he is relaxed with his predictable routine and is affectionate, trusting and curious. He still needs extra TLC when facing new experiences. He stands with his front feet facing one way and his backend in a different direction. When he sits his knees are really wide. He has dark wool, a fine nose and his face looks similar to a kangaroo. We are so happy to welcome Shadow to Pyndan Camel Tracks.

Sparky, born near Winton Queensland, joined Pyndan Camel Tracks in 2018. He is gentle, sweet natured, affectionate and smart. He is a real thinker and watches the cameleers at work. He makes us laugh when he shows his gap-toothed smile. He likes a cuddle around his neck while he’s standing up. As a young camel his legs were injured badly by bull camels, which meant that he had to retire from the Queensland race circuit. He is inquisitive and often says hello by sniffing the person sitting on the camel in front of him. Glenda Sutton the camel race trainer and jockey asked us to give Sparky a home after his retirement from racing. He arrived with his mate, Shadow. He is such a pleasure to host at Pyndan Camel Tracks.

Our camel ‘Dock’ was born at Pyndan Camel Tracks in 2000. He has caramel coloured feet and a gorgeous droopy bottom lip. Dock likes to wobble his large lips when he talks in moans, groans and deep, throaty bellows. He enjoys caresses on his silky cheeks. He loves to suck on the sheep skin saddle blankets just like Charlie Brown’s friend Linus in the comic strip Peanuts. He is a big bullock and weighs around 500 kilograms (over 1000 pounds), which is average for male camels. He stared working in 2007 and is reliable, steady and calm.

Our camel ‘Saleh Mohamed’ is sensitive and responds well to gentleness. He is the anchor at the end of the camel string. His wool is a light cream colour, which contrasts with our other dark brown camels. Saleh Mohamed was a famous Afghan cameleer who accompanied early explorers to Central Australia such as Ernest Giles and P.E. Warburton in the 1870s. Approximately 11,000 one humped dromedaries were imported into Australia between 1860 and 1907 from Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. Our Saleh is quiet, strong and reliable.

Our camel ‘Milo’ was born to Tjala at Pyndan Camel Tracks during winter. A stunning looking dromedary with dark brown silky hair, Milo is cheeky and bossy. He loves people and is always demanding attention. He is great to kiss and cuddle. When you massage his favourite spot below his chocolate-coloured woolly beard he closes his eyes and rests his head on the ground. When he was younger he was very clumsy and got stuck in strange places such as in the feed trough and under the yard fence. He is our children’s favourite camel because he is so affectionate.

Our camel ‘Gemel’ was born at Pyndan Camel Tracks in 1 October 2014. He was orphaned at 9 months and formed a strong bond with Terry, the camel. Gemel is too young yet to be go on the camel rides and will learn to carry people when he’s about six years old. ​​Camels can rehydrate faster than any other mammal and are able to drink about 113 litres (30 gallons) of water in just 13 minutes.

Pat is obviously not a camel. He is a sulphur crested cockatoo. He was born in 1941. He is very noisey and greets all our visitors with a loud ‘Hello’. When the camel train returns after their tour, he welcomes them with ‘They’re coming back!’ When our visitors leave, he encourages them to ‘Come back mate!’ He has a creepy laugh and a sneaky chuckle. We were bequested Pat in 2015 from Una Ball, our neighbour.
RIP … Pat passed away on 3 December 2018. We can’t bear yet to take him off our special team photos. 

• Terry was born in 2008 in the Simpson Desert and arrived at Pyndan Camel Tracks in 2013 in very poor condition. He is now strong and is in training to join the herd.
• Fuzzly Ahmed came from the Simpson Desert to Pyndan Camel Tracks in 2016 when he was about 7 years old. Fuzzly Ahmed was an Afghan cameeler working in outback Australia in the early 1900s. Our Fuzzly has a very fuzzy coat.
• Mo arrived from the Northern Simpson Desert in 2016 aged about 7 years old. He has a strawberry blond body with creamy legs like he is wearing long socks. He has ridiculously long eyelashes to protect his three eyelids, one which acts like a windscreen wiper. He is cheeky and loves wrestling with Milo. He will begin training soon.
• Jo arrived from the Northern Simpson Desert in 2016 aged about 7 years old. He is quiet as a mouse and introverted in comparison to Mo, Milo and Gemel.
• Wati Pulka is a very big fella from Santa Teresa, south east of Alice Springs. He arrived at Pyndan Camel Tracks in 2017 and is still wild. He has many scars from fighting other bulls in the wild. It’s hard to know exactly how old he is, however, we assume he’s in his mid-20s. He will begin training soon.