Tiki and Jill and the Great Australian Camel Race by Kate Simpson and Dr Jill Colwell, illustrated by Craig Smith

Title: Tiki and Jill and the Great Australian Camel Race

Author: Kate Simpson and Dr Jill Colwell, illustrated by Craig Smith

Genre: Non-fiction

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 30^th June 2026

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 40

Price: $24.99

Synopsis: The amazing true story about a remarkable camel called Tiki from two CBCA award-winning creators, the author of How to Move a Zoo and the illustrator of The Wobbly Bike.

Tiki was a desert-born camel and still more than half wild when he met his rider, Jill.

Jill was an accomplished horse rider who had never ridden a camel.

Tiki and Jill had entered the Great Australian Camel Race – a three-month trek from the red centre of Australia all the way to the Gold Coast. But Tiki was a tricky camel to ride. He spat on Jill. He bucked. He liked to roll in burrs.

Then one especially tough day among the sand dunes of the Simpson Desert, everything changed. And Tiki and Jill became firm friends.

The amazing true story about the bond between a camel called Tiki and his rider, Jill, and the extraordinary endurance race that captured the imagination of Australia.

Perfect for:
– Readers aged 5+ who love true stories about animals
– Teachers and librarians looking for books that explore Australian history and geography
– Non-fiction-loving primary school students who enjoy factual information with their stories
– Nostalgia-loving readers who want to share a slice of 1980s Australia with their loved ones

~*~

In the late 1980s, there was a camel race across Australia, and Dr Jill Colwell entered it with a somewhat snarky camel called Tiki.  Things weren’t as easy for Jill, especially with a camel that was half wild, had never been ridden, nor been in a race and was filled with antics and unwilling to work with Jill.

Out of 69 camels, it seemed he was going to be the one causing the most trouble, going the wrong way, making things hard and being the cause of much amusement amongst everyone on the three month trek. Yet when things got hard, they all came together to help with shelter and food, and it would take a while until one tough day trekking across the Simpson Desert that things changed, and they were able to work together to finish the trek.

This is another great non-fiction picture book by Kate Simpson exploring a woman in Australian history that has done something that people probably didn’t think she could do. That maybe, they thought she shouldn’t do. And it is great that we are getting more stories like this, because we need them. We need to see that there were women that did things people didn’t think they should do. Entering industries that were supposed to be for men only, and breaking down all sorts of barriers that society threw up for them, even into recent years and decades.

Kate wrote this book with Jill herself, giving it great authenticity and a powerful voice that shows women deserve to be heard and seen. This story also celebrates the Australian outback, a journey and community and connections made when things are uncertain. It’s a book that reminds us people can set their minds to something, and do it if they want to and can. Because there are ways to get into what we want to do, ways to build our confidence and ways to become part of a community in unique ways.

We  need books like this that empower women, reveal more about history than we already know and share a good message about giving whatever you try a good go and never giving up.