Camel team hauls wagon into record books in southern NSW

Thirty-two camels in harness pulling a loaded wagon at a heritage festival in southern New South Wales have set an Australian record.

The record-breaking feat at the Good Old Days Festival in Barellan on Saturday was set by a group of cameleers from NSW, Queensland and Victoria.

The team broke the previous record of 22 camels set at the same event in 2024.

The camels were harnessed to an antique wagon loaded with wool bales, which they pulled for multiple laps around the arena as the crowd cheered. 

Cameleer Rodney Sansom, whose camel Thirsty led the team, said one of the biggest challenges was bringing together the animals from four different owners.

"They've got to get used to all the other camels and they've got to get used to all the drivers," he said.

"We've spent years training camels. There's the leaders and the wheelers and we've got young camels in here that we've being getting ready for just this job."

Mr Sansom said key to training the camels was learning to communicate with each other.

"You've got to teach him English … be kind to the camel, show him what you want to do and he will love doing it for you," he said.

US camel ranchers impressed 

The record attempt attracted international attention with a delegation from the North American Camel Ranch Owners Association attending the festival.

The association's education officer Doug Baum said their visit was about sharing international "camel culture".

"The Australian cameleers of modern times … have a love and a respect for this country's history and you are seeing it kept alive at the festival," he said.

Another member of the delegation, Valeri Crenshaw, was impressed by the skill and training of the Australian cameleers.

"These guys are starting with feral camels that have been out running in the bush and we start with camels that were born and bred on farms," she said.

"There's a different level in how you have to build patience and build the relationship with the animal."

Ms Crenshaw said she enjoyed spending time with the camel teams, camping on the stock routes in the Riverina and learning to drive the wagon.

"Australia does a very good job of embracing its history and bringing to life how camels started in this country and what they were used for," she said.

Ms Crenshaw grew up riding horses on a cattle ranch in Kansas but camels stole her heart.

"When I got introduced to camels, it knocked me off my feet with joy," she said.

"They're so smart and they're so intuitive … they want to interact and they want to please you."

Camel history on show

Mr Baum said camels were a novelty in his home state of Texas, but he enjoyed sharing their role in history, such as how the United States Camel Corps transported military supplies in the 1850s.

"The camel is a curiosity … like a keyhole into greater discovery," he said.

"If I show up on a school campus or at a national park or library with my camels, people are at least intrigued and maybe they'll even learn some history."

Mr Sansom said he was pleased to have been part of the team to make its own Australian camel history.

"I've always said I wish I was around 100 years ago [when camels were used to haul freight], but I'm here now," he said.

"We're making memories as we go."

A second Australian record fell at the festival with a team of 56 bullocks.

In 2025, a heavy horse record was set at the festival by 62 Clydesdale, Australian draught, Suffolk Punch and Shire horses pulling an antique wagon.