The success of the Scenic Rim’s Summer Land Camels at the Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Show might be encouragement for some farmers on the Downs to start thinking about adding a few camels to their livestock herd.

The Champions of the 2024 Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Show have been just announced with Queensland’s Summer Land Camels taking home Gold for the Camel Milk, Silver for the Camel Milk Persian Feta, and Bronze for Camel Milk Powder.

The Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Produce Show is one of the industry’s most prestigious competitions.

Paul Martin, founder and director of Summer Land Camels, Australia’s largest camel dairy and the world’s largest wild camel training centre, was ecstatic to be in the leaders circle for the seventh year running.

Mr Martin said Summer Land Camels has been at the forefront of innovation when it comes to developing new products, with an emphasis on preserving the health benefits of the milk.

“Rather than culling these incredible creatures, establishing a sustainable industry makes much more sense, and we’re actively contributing to that initiative.”

Camels are not new to the Darling Downs and were used by the early pioneers in a variety of ways.

The town of Tara likes to commemorate its history with camels with a popular annual camel race.

Feral camels have become a major problem and Paul Martin seems to think that harvesting them is better than culling.

Might we see more camels on the Downs in years to come?

This article appeared in On Our Selection News, on 29 February 2024.