Bushfield Farm Camels’ Kylie Finn and her husband, Jim, want to expand into rides on the NSW South Coast. Photo: Bushfield Farm Camels.
Dogs and humans could be sharing a Far South Coast beach with a new animal under a new proposal.
Eurobodalla Shire Council (ESC) is accepting people’s feedback on a plan whereby a business would provide camel rides on Corrigans Beach Reserve.
While some have said they’d welcome camels as the newest guests in the shire, not everyone is a fan.
One commentator described the proposal as being “tasteless”, while a second person said it was a “Good idea, wrong place”.
Another wrote: “Dogs and camels don’t mix so will lead to the elimination of a dog friendly beach … or restricted time zones.”
A fourth commentator also wondered how the dogs and camels could share the beach during the busy tourist season.
If approved, Bushfield Farm Camels’ licence would be issued for up to five years.
Bushfield Farm Camels is based in Yass Valley, near the village of Gundaroo, where Kylie and Jim Finn have been acquiring camels for their farm since 2022.
The Finns already have experience with camel rides and meet-and-greets for special events, but have turned their eyes to the NSW South Coast.
“We really just want to give people that experience of riding a camel on the beach,” Ms Finn told Region.
“It’s an experience that kids will remember for the rest of their lives.”
If allowed, the rides would last about 20 minutes as the camels walk to the end of the beach and back to a starting point.
About seven camels are expected to be in each tour.
Ms Finn also reassured online commentators, some of whom had raised fears about what the proposal meant for the beach’s off-leash dogs.
She said no changes to restrictions for dogs were proposed.
“We would never have put in a DA [development application] if we thought it would have been an issue with the dogs … our camels live with dogs here on a farm,” she said.
“They don’t care about the dogs. In fact, they ignore the dogs — they don’t react.”
The camels will also be wearing “poo bags” to collect their waste.
Ms Finn said Corrigans Beach “ticked all the boxes” as a location for the rides, but discussions around the proposal were ongoing with ESC.
“We’re open to suggestions from the council … It’s something that we will probably talk about if Corrigans isn’t going to be suitable.
“We’re open to other beaches that they suggest might be better.”
Ms Finn said camels’ role in building Australia often went unrecognised.
“They may not be native to Australia, but they certainly helped Australia get communications established — they built the telegraph line and the railway out in central Australia,” she said.
“If we didn’t have the camels to do that, central Australia would be 50 years behind what it is now.”
The public can have their say by visiting the council’s website.
Consultation closes at 4 pm on 22 December. People are asked to quote ‘‘LLC0635’’ in their written comments.
