Camel dairy farm west of Gold Coast aims to be Australia’s largest

WEST of the Gold Coast the foundation for Australia’s largest camel dairy is being laid.

Grazier Paul Martin hopes to grow a 1000-strong camel dairy farm at Mutdapilly.

WEST of the Gold Coast the foundation for Australia’s largest camel dairy is being laid.

The Australian Wild Camel Corporation, headed up by biochemist Jeff Flood and grazier Paul Martin, has bought 63ha of land at Mutdapilly where it plans to grow a 1000-strong herd of camels.

Mr Martin said they were laying the blueprint for a larger project in the Northern Territory where they want to create a farm with 3500 camels, producing both meat and milk.

He said the pair came up with the idea after being approached by investors interested in the camel-milking industry through their company SNC Agribusiness.

The camels at Mutdapilly produce four litres of milk each a day.

At the same time the Federal Government was culling wild camels, leaving the carcasses to rot.

“We were appalled the government was shooting all these animals rather than killing them at an abattoir and creating a market for camel meat because that’s a smarter way to do it,” he said.

Mr Martin said they got in touch with professional camel handlers Hannah Purss and Evan Casey, who owned a small dairy and had experience handling wild camels.

“We needed people who could help develop the training process so we can get the camels used to having machines around, being milked and things like the chains on gates,” he said.

“These are not Friesian cows, they are not docile so they needed to be trained.”

Mr Martin said they moved to the Mutdapilly farm five weeks ago from a smaller farm in Lowood.

Paul Martin with camels out at his farm in Mutdapilly

Their goal is to train about 30 to 50 camels a month, with each producing about 25 litres a day although it was currently four litres on average.

Mr Martin said the company isn’t currently selling fresh milk because it lacks accreditation but hopes to eventually. Instead it produces camel milk powder and soap.

He said the market for camel products was “health conscious” people in Australia and globally who wanted to take advantage of its benefits.

Customers pay up to $40 a litre for camel milk in southern states.

Mr Martin said the product tasted like cow’s milk “only saltier”.

“People use it to improve their own health due to the different types of protein it contains as well as because it is easier to digest,” he said.

The company recently sent its first shipment of 60,000 soap bars to Hong Kong, which a wholesaler purchased.

They have started research projects with the University of Queensland to test the health benefits.

He said the company is seeking funding from investors so they could get the farm to where they could milk 1000 camels.

To date, $5-$6 million has been raised and aims to raise a further $10 million.

The Australian Wild Camel Corporation paid $1.4 million for the farm in Mutdapilly in June.