Sometimes, the most interesting and
unusual adventures in life are the least
expected ones, where chance collides with
reality. That’s exactly what unfolded for me
while photographing the autumnal colours
of my new hometown of Jamieson, Vic.
I’d no idea I was about to stumble across a
modern-day adventurer, especially in a small
High Country town amidst a pandemic. So it
was with surprise and delight to learn that
camped where the Goulburn and Jamieson
rivers merge was an eccentric bloke leading a
team of five camels on an around-Australia trek.
It wasn’t difficult to find John Elliott, his team
of dromedaries and faithful canine
companion, Bruski. It seemed such an odd
juxtaposition to see his camels amidst
towering mountain ash and golden poplar
trees besides a High Country river, and I
wondered if, in Jamieson’s 160-year history,
such a sight had been witnessed before.
Sitting for a chat by John’s campfire, it
became apparent he’d undertaken an epic
adventure, having already spent 13 months
on the road from his starting point at Coonarr
Beach, Qld. But who is John Elliott, and why
was he walking with five camels and a dog
around Australia, and what on earth was he
doing in Jamieson?
Turns out, John’s story had as many twists
and turns as his own route, which originally
was conceived as an east to west trek across
Australia, but had morphed into an epic trip
through every state and territory of the
continent.
Camelier John Elliot (left) with
photographer and writer Stuart Grant
(who is also a great friend of GoRV).
MEET JOHN ELLIOT
John, 38, hails from Perth, where he
established himself as a business
powerhouse after starting his own successful
insurance brokerage, along with other
entrepreneurial pursuits.
But measuring success in fiscal terms for a
decade, and defining himself by wealth and
the trimmings, soon lost the sense of
challenge and fulfilment John craved. He
decided it was time to step back from his life
of excess, tune into something completely
different, and base his decisions and
happiness beyond dollar values alone.
In late 2017, someone mentioned camel
trekking to John over dinner, and changed
everything. Soon after, he’d resigned as CEO
of his own company, given away or sold most
of his possessions, and immersed himself for
the next year into learning the varied skills
he’d require to undertake such a trip, and
acquire a team of camels.