Sayed Fahim Hashemy

Afghan Cameleer in Australian from 1860-1920

Sayed Fahim Hashemy

This documentary is about the Afghan cameleer who came to Australia more than a century ago, and travelled across some of the harshest parts of the country. The film explores the historic relationship between the desert and Afghani immigrants in Aboriginal Australia by looking at the role they played in the development of the country and how they helped to set up the railway lines, overland Telegraph line and provided supplies to remote mission stations and farms. By the mid–1800s, exploration in Australia was at its peak with expeditions setting out almost monthly. The race to map the continent, locate natural resources or find new places to settle moved away from the coast and further into the inhospitable heart of Australia. It was soon obvious that the traditional horses and wagons used for such expeditions were not suitable in this strange and foreign land.