Summer Land Camels is a working camel farm and dairy located in the Scenic Rim, just one hour from Brisbane. It’s the largest camel dairy in Australia and offers the unique opportunity to get up close to these beautiful animals, and sample some camel products.
With the Scenic Rim as your backdrop, you’ll feel like you’re a million miles away from the bustle of the city. Out here you’ll enjoy far-reaching views of Flinders Peak, and a real sense of tranquility.
There are five hundred camels onsite at Summer Land. It’s a massive, well-run operation but they warmly welcome visitors and are so enthusiastic to share their love of camels with you.
Summer Land Camels makes for a fantastic day out for families. Here’s how we spent our day with the camels.
Free Activities
Incredibly, entrance to Summer Land Camels is free, except for special events. At the entrance station you can purchase bags of camel food for $3 each, and the camels know exactly what those brown bags mean! As soon as you approach the fence, they’ll wander over, eager for some of that delicious food.
The camels are really beautiful animals – gentle giants with so much character. Take your time feeding and patting them – they’ll keep everyone entertained with their antics.
Farm Tours
To spend more time with the camels, you can join one of the guided tours. We did the Tour, Taste & Camel Encounter which runs daily at 10am. This tour takes you behind the scenes of the working farm. You’ll meet some more camels and calves, see the milking shed and learn all about the dairy, camel products and lots more about the camels themselves.
Here are my favourite snippets of information from the tour:
- Camels with one hump are the desert camels. Camels with two humps live in colder climates.
- Contrary to popular belief, camels don’t store water in their humps, but fat. They draw on this fat for energy.
- They can run surprisingly fast – up to 65 km/h actually – and comfortably jump fences.
Top tip: you don’t get to feed the camels during the farm tour unless you bring some food. Before the tour, grab a couple of bags of camel food from the entrance station so you can feed the camels you’ll meet on the farm tour.
At the end of the tour you’ll get to sample some camel milk and other camel products like salami and feta. The cold camel milk was light, sweet and really refreshing – the kids would happily have drunk several more of these!
During the week you can also join the Paddock to Plate Experience, which includes a guided tour, four-course lunch, vodka tasting and camel feeding.
Looking for more family day trips from Brisbane? I have plenty of ideas here.
Camel Rides
Don’t miss the opportunity to ride a camel while you’re here – it was our favourite part of the whole day. It was a little daunting at first and not what you’d call a smooth ride thanks to the camel’s swaying gait, but it’s such a unique experience and, once you’re used to it, very relaxing. You’ll ride in a line of camels known as a “caravan“, and enjoy a leisurely loop around the farm, getting to know your camels a bit better along the way.
These introductory camel rides last 15 minutes and there are plenty of slots available through the day. Children aged 4 and over can ride, making this a great experience for the whole family.
If you fancy a longer camel ride there are also extended trail rides, including a sunrise camel ride, where you’ll explore more of the beautiful property and maybe even spot some wildlife.
Do your kids love animals? Check out these farms and zoos for more inspiration!
The Cafe and Gift Shop
The perfect way to end your day at Summer Land is a visit to the gift shop and cafe.
The gift shop sells an extensive selection of camel products. From beautiful skincare made with camel milk, to camel milk vodka (the world’s first!), camel steaks, sausages, and plenty of camel-themed gifts.
Good to know – if you missed out in the shop, you can also buy the camel products online.
Next to the shop is the Homestead Cafe, a perfect spot for breakfast or lunch. Take a seat on the beautiful verandah with views over the camel paddocks, and choose from the menu packed with camel treats.
We tried the Summer Land Tasting Plate, which featured camel milk, feta and salami. This disappeared very quickly!
Also on the menu is camel curry, pies, sausage rolls and burgers as well as camel milk products such as smoothies, vodka tasters and the famous “camelcino” made with – you guessed it – camel milk.
We wrapped up our day with some camel milk gelato — the vanilla might just be the creamiest I’ve tasted this side of Italy.
Give the camels one last pat on your way out and the congratulate yourselves on a wonderful day spent at Summer Land!
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Summer Land Camels – Final Thoughts
Summer Land Camels is an excellent choice for a day trip from Brisbane. It’s not your typical farm experience, and that’s exactly what makes it so special. If your kids love animals, they’ll adore meeting, feeding and patting the camels. The whole family will enjoy the camel rides, learning something new on the tour and trying the delicious camel products.
Thanks to Summer Land Camels for hosting us! As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://summerlandcamels.com.au
Getting to Summer Land Camels
Summer Land Camels is located in the Scenic Rim, an hour from Brisbane and just south of Ipswich. It would be a great stop on the way to a weekend in Stanthorpe.
Where to Stay Near Summer Land Camels
The Scenic Rim is dotted with cottages, farmstays and boutique accommodation.
Summer Land is only 6 km from the historic country town of Harrisville, with accommodation options such as the Royal Hotel Harrisville.
For a more luxurious stay, head for Spicers Hidden Vale, only 35 minutes from Summer Land Camels.
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