Tin Camel Roundabout

The Tin Camel Roundabout is a public art display that pays tribute to the role of camels in the industrial development of Australia. Situated in the small town of Norseman, the camels were designed by a local named Susan Reynoldson and later constructed out of tin by Kurt Hotker, an artist from Perth. 

The first camel was brought to Australia from the Canary Islands in 1840 and in the following 60 years, it’s believed that over 10,000 of the animals were brought from overseas to help transport goods over long distances. The camels would often walk in “trains,” a chain of animals linked together that would sometimes be up to 70 in length.

Interestingly, most camels in Australia were released in the mid-1920s and established large herds which now can be found scattered across the arid areas of mainland Australia. The impact of these camels can be seen in Norseman to this day, where the roads appear wide in length. This allowed the camel trains enough space to turn in the road when carrying equipment.