Australia's first Muslims

Australia is a relatively new country compared to Europe. In January 1788, the First Fleet, comprising of 11 ships and around 1,350 people which included 780 convicts, arrived in Australia. Many fleets followed. This British Colony was developed with the use of British Convict labour.

The convicts however found it difficult to develop inner Australia as horses or bullocks could not survive the harsh conditions of the desert. Australia is a very harsh and dry continent with 44% on the country being desert. The first documented muslims arrived in South Australia in 1838. They were Cameleers from Afghanistan. These Afghans and their camel herds were specifically bought over to Australia, to provide crucial transport across the desert reaches.

By the 1880s and 1890s, Afghan immigrants virtually controlled Australia’s camel transportation business. In 1884 nearly three hundred camels and fifty-six Afghans were landed at Port Augusta. The largest group landed in 1893 when four hundred camels and ninety-four men disembarked. The picture shows camels being unloaded from a ship in the 1890's in Port Augusta.

These muslim Afghans, built Australia’s first mosque from Mud in Maree and planted date palms. The cameleers were highly skilled, resourceful men, but were probably not highly educated.

Many of these Afghans did extremely well in their chosen business. Abdul Wade, for example, had four hundred camels and sixty men working for him.

Another early arrival was Hadji Mulla Merban from Kandabar, Afghanistan. He came to Port Darwin and acted as leader among the Afghan camel drivers working for the Overland Telegraph Line. He married a European woman and was instrumental in building the Adelaide Mosque in 1888, pictured below. He became the spiritual leader of the Afghan community in South Australia. He passed away in 1897.


The Afghan cameleers, also inspired artists and even country and western singers, such as Ted Egan:

“Meet Angus McPherson, son of a cattle man,
Lives on a station west of Maree,
Flaming red hair, a charmer so rare,
A loveable fellow is he.

Meet Miriam Mahomet, her father’s a camel man,
Lives in an old Afghan town east of Maree,
Dark flashing eyes, an Islamic prize,
A beautiful creature is she.”

The song tells of the railway line that ran through Maree, where all the Anglo-Saxons lived on one side and the Afghans lived on the other:

"But when the children grew up
And professed their true love,
Their parents were shocked to the core.
Miriam and Angus were both reprimanded,
Strictly forbidden to meet anymore.

For the railway line runs through Maree
And star-crossed lovers are doomed to be
Forever denied their true destiny
By parents who know what is best.”

The enormous and incredible pioneering contributions of these Afghan migrants, in developing Australia have largely been forgotten. Without their amazing endurance, riding their camels thousands of kilometres in absolute, brutal heat to deliver supplies, the Australian inland would have remained a closed book for many years.

Descendants of these Afghans today occupy many walks of Australian life, and include teachers, scientists, writers, composers, cooks, health workers, and elite sportsmen.