Gool Mahomet

Gool Mahomet (1865 – 21 May 1950), also known as Gul Muhammed, was an Afghan cameleer who immigrated from Kabul to Australia in the late 19the century. He worked in and around Central Australia.

Early life Gool Mahomet was born in 1865 in a small village near Kabul, Emirate of Afghanistan . He worked in Colombo, in Sri Lanka, to help pay for his passage to Australia. The date that Mahomet immigrated to Australia is uncertain, being recorded as both 1887 and 1897.

He initially arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia, before moving, almost immediately, to Port Augusta and then Parachilna in South Australia.

Work as a cameleer Once in South Australia Mahomet worked on the railhead and carted copper by camel from Blinman back to the railhead.

In Kalgoorlie Mahomet met and married French prostitute Desiree Ernestine Adrienne Lesire, five weeks after meeting. They were married in the Kalgoorlie Mosque by Secundah Khan on 18 March 1907. Lesire converted to Islam and changed her name to Miriam Bebe, and their wedding was followed by a civil ceremony in Port Augusta on 17 August 1907. where they established a market garden at the Afghan settlement where they grew melons, vegetables, and dates, as well as providing water and wood to the gold miners.

The family continued to move around the country, travelling across the country by camel on a regular basis, including one trip from Perth to Broken Hill, a distance of almost , to visit a sick friend or relative. In 1935, with motor vehicles taking over, he let his camels free to roam.

Miriam Bebe, Mahomet's wife, never lived at Mulgaria, preferring to stay in Farina. She died of a heart attack on 16 January 1939 at the age of 58.

He was referred to as one of the "best known members of the Australian Afghan community".