The Great Australian Camel Race was an Australian event held in 1988.
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This event was the work of the Australian millionaire Arthur Earle, who wanted to recognise the positive impact that camels had on the development of Australia, and highlight the importance these animals had in the exploration and transport needs in the central Australian deserts.
It is said to have been the longest animal endurance race ever held.
The event
The event was 3,236 km (2,011 mi) long spanning from the centre of Australia, starting at Ayers Rock, to the East Coast of Australia ending on the Gold Coast. The race was broken down into six legs each with check points in between. The event was run like a car rally, where each competitor was timed on how long it took to complete a leg. Each leg as detailed in the Australasian geographical magazine Geo Volume 11 number 3 as below.
For three months competitors battled disease, floods and competitor rivalry, as the mix of people in the event varied greatly. Australia's elite SASR (Special Air Service Regiment which came second overall) along with the a team from the 2/4 Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, competitors from the United States, Australia's leading camel handlers and ex-marathon runners entered the event totaling 69 competitors.
A total of 28 competitors completed the event with details of finishing times for first second and third place as below.
- Gordon O'Connell 480 Hrs
- SASR 514 Hrs
- Steve French 542 Hrs
Calculating these times into a 24‑hour period, then gaining an average of distance traveled daily equates to Gordon O'Connell taking 20 days in total time to complete, covering 168 km every 24 hours as the average. (This includes meals, sleeping and animal feeding)
Gordon O'Connell won The Great Australian Camel race by approximately 34 hours ahead of his nearest competitor. In addition to this the distance he won by had been reached by the second leg of the race. Gordon won the first four of the six legs, even when he was hospitalised with kidney failure from Shiguella on the second leg going into Boulia.
The army was the team organising the legs and were there for the safety of all competitors along with competing themselves. In addition to this they were the best equipped for the event with hundreds of support personnel and vehicles. The clear leaders throughout the race were the SASR and Gordon O'Connell.
Other social context
It featured in the four-hour documentary produced by Orana Films and photographed in the Australasian geographical magazine Geo Volume 11 number 3 page 97.
The race was to also inject more celebration into Australia's Bicentennial year whilst raising funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.