Camel rides in the Whitsundays – who’d have believed it. Adrienne Costin not only found them, she discovered they offered visitors an experience to remember.  

Like mirages, the string of camels appeared on the horizon, their longs legs stepping gracefully forward as they strode under the palm trees, the bright hues of their costumes creating a palette of primary colours on the Airlie Beach foreshore.  

“Aren’t they beautiful,” says Flynn Moustafa from Whitsundays Camels of his charges. He leans over and plants a kiss on the quivering nose of  Wacko, the camel closest to him who sports a coat of tight brown curls, dark pools for eyes and thick eyelashes to die for. Both seem quite delighted with the exchange.  

Whitsunday Camels is one of the latest tourist experiences on offer in bustling Airlie Beach, the fast-growing epicentre of the Whitsunday region. Each weekend the camels join the line-up at the popular Airlie Beach markets offering visitors the chance to get up close and personal on a ride. They also operate out of the nearby Bowen Markets every second Sunday.   

The camels stand quietly in line, five in all, each tethered to the one in front, the largest one called Harry, bringing up the rear.  

Camels have a reputation as animals that smell, bite, spit and kick. While Flynn agrees they do all of these, he also says a well-raised and cared-for camel is a delight. Decked out in traditional camel garb - brightly coloured rugs adorned with flowers and other ornaments (including a discreetly placed poo-bag), intricately entwined ropes hanging on their neck, it’s not hard to agree.  

I’ve ridden lots of horses, but a camel ride is a completely different experience. The riding motion is a bit like sitting in a moving rocking chair, but is easy to master when you learn to move with the camel. On the other hand, mounting and dismounting do give you cause to think.  

A camel stands between 1.7 to 2 metres tall and they are sitting on the ground, legs neatly folded under them, when you hop into the saddle. Once you are settled they are then given the order to stand up.  

To do this the camel lurches forward to straighten its back legs while the front legs remain on the ground. Get the picture? And you?? Well you cling! A little grunt (this is you not the camel) it then levers its 600 or so kilogram body back the other way to raise its front legs as you flounder around on top, holding on tight to the handle on the saddle.  

The same applies when the ride is over as the camel reverses the procedure when they are given the order “oushka” meaning “sit down”. It’s an inelegant experience, but is of little concern to the camels. We humans are small fry compared to the tonnes they can carry as pack animals.

Flynn is an experienced cameleer who, with with his wife Regina, decided four years ago that camel rides would provide another dimension to the tourism experiences of the region. The camels have been certainly been welcomed by the locals and visitors who line up each weekend to ride the camels.  

“We saw this as a great family activity and at we can also educate this generation and their parents of the positive aspects of camels,” said Flynn who has plans to add more camel trek adventure activities to the line-up including overnight expeditions on the foreshore at Bowen.  

During the ride Flynn walks beside us dressed in Bedouin robes, talking about the business and providing an informative commentary on the history of camels in Australia.  

The five camels we six are riding – each camel can carry two people in the purpose-built saddles - are part of Whitsunday Camels’ herd of 20, all of whom are former pack camels owned by South Australian camel legend, Rex Ellis.  

“Many of the children come back week after week for a ride on their favourite camel. They know all their names and they just love them,” said Flynn.  

For more information on Whitsundays Camels call 0417317180 or email camelman1@optusnet.com.au . A web site is under development, www.whitsundaycamels.com.au. For more information on the Whitsundays please visit www.tourismwhitsundays.com.au