Feral camels invade WA coastal crops in a strange appearance signalling a dry Nullarbor.

kiwijims · Guru

Fleeing the Nullarbor....

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Camels don't normally live in the Nullarbor proper in significant numbers - they are much more prevalent in the Great Victoria Desert (see the distribution map in the article) and there were record rains there in the early part of this year, so there is something else at play here I suspect.
Margaret and I will be in the GVD a week from now, assisting with a study that includes damage done by camels to the Quandong tree population.
Cheers,
Peter

kiwijims · Guru

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:
Camels don't normally live in the Nullarbor proper in significant numbers - they are much more prevalent in the Great Victoria Desert (see the distribution map in the article) and there were record rains there in the early part of this year, so there is something else at play here I suspect.
Margaret and I will be in the GVD a week from now, assisting with a study that includes damage done by camels to the Quandong tree population.
Cheers,
Peter

It will be interesting to read you're report on what you find when you reach the GVD Peter,

If there was record rains there earlier this year, what is driving all these Camels South ???

K.J.

Mobi Condo · Guru

We were in Newman's Rocks area not far from Balladonia and Fraser Range in late winter 2007, then camped there in June 2015 and then passing by in September 2015.
On each occasion there were camels present and the last time we experienced a herd of at least 20 crossing the Eyre Highway just 10 or so k out of Balladonia Road House.
We just thought that was not unusual, but by the looks of the news article it must have been.

LLD · Guru

Just back from going from Port Augusta - Katherine - Broome - Jurien Bay - Kalgoorlie - Port Augusta. Never saw a camel other than on Cable Back. Not even a lot of roos - road-kill or otherwise. One stretch of about 40kms one day we saw a lot of fresh, small roos that were probably hit during the previous night. Plenty of Emus in paddocks. No emu, no pig, no goat, no sheep road-kill at all. Road-kill was mainly cattle. In fact we (3 couples in vans) all commented about the lack of roadkill or even signs of.

Delta18 · Guru

We have crossed the Nullarbor in car and later years car & caravan in excess of 35 times since my first trip to WA over 40 years ago.

In all these crossings, some at night, most in daylight (1st time there was 500km dirt from Penong to the border) and in all seasons we have never seen a camel in the wild.

One station, possibly Nullarbor Roadhouse had some confined but that was it.

We went across in January this year and going again in December.

We know all the roos by name now lol.

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

To think two years ago near the whole of Aust was GREEN .. Even out in red centre . The water level was very high . Dig 12â-300mm and you hit water ..

woolman · Guru

There was a dead camel just out of Ballidonia in August last year. That was a great surprise to me. Had to have another look on the dash cam to confirm though.

Neil