Outback Queensland feral camel auction attracts in...

A camel auction in the western Queensland channel country has attracted interest from buyers as far away as Victoria, with seven mobs selling for more than $250 a head.

Key points: The Blackett family from Alderley Station in western Queensland sold more than 120 camels in an online auctionIt was the first time camels have been sold on the website AuctionsPlus — Australia's largest online livestock selling platformSelling agent Scott Taylor hopes it will be a precedent for more sales of camels

The Blackett family from Alderley Station, north of Boulia, put more than 120 camels on the market in an Australian-first for the website AuctionsPlus.

Despite enquiries from across the country, selling agent Scott Taylor said most of the camels were going to stay in the local area.

"They have to be loaded on an open trailer, so that makes the freight a lot more expensive because we just can't match them in with cattle trucks," he said.

"We ran a few sums for an interested person from Narromine, near Dubbo in New South Wales, and he was after eight of the weaner camels and it was going to cost him $6,000 in the truck to get them there."

Livestock agent Scott Taylor hopes more camels can be sold online after the success of an auction from western Queensland.(ABC Rural: Eden Hynninen) Camels sold for weed control

The camels were divided up into seven different mobs for the auction, with two buyers snapping them up.

Scott Blackett said they were purchased for different reasons including controlling the weed prickly acacia.

"All our [non-breeding] camels got sold locally to a camel wheeler and dealer," he said.

"He's got a few of his own racing camels.

"The cow/calf units heading are across to Winton and they'll be used for weed control."

The Blackett family mustered the camels in the yards and divided them into seven mobs for the online auction.(Supplied: AuctionsPlus) Hopes for more camel auctions

Mr Blackett said the animals had been on the property for decades, but family had only ever sold them in small mobs to local buyers and to the iconic Boulia Camel Races.

"We only ever used to go out and get a little handful for the local races in the camel tagging or if someone wanted a handful to train up for racing," he said.

"This would be the biggest muster we've done." Alderley Station sold more than 100 camels this week for the first time ever on the website AuctionsPlus.(Supplied: Alderley Station)

Mr Taylor said he had never heard of camels being auctioned online before and he hoped the sale would open the market to more graziers.

"I've had another landholder east of Winton, while this auction was on, wanting to list some camels," he said.

"I think there will be more."

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