The first camels came to Australia from the Canary Islands in 1840. Nine camels were brought for the purpose of aiding the exploration of John Horrocks. None of these initial â¦ camels survived, although the first one lived for six years-long enough to shoot Horrocks.hese were the predecessors of today's wild camels. Camels continued to be brought over by later explorers. It was not uncommon for the explorers and/or the Afghan cameleers to release their camels, or for the camels to escape.
The expedition arrived in San Diego on May 14, 1769, the first overland party to reach Alta California. The next day, on May 15, Gaspar de Portola and Father Junipero Serra set out across the rugged, arid land of Baja California with a contingent of soldiers and Baja mission Indians.
Mission Santa Cruz Father Lausen, who led the missionary system following Father Serra's death, raised the cross on August 28, 1791 on where Mission Santa Cruz, or Holy Cross, was to be built. On September 25, 1791, the Mission Santa Cruz was formally founded as the 12th California Mission. Mission Santa Cruz is known as the hard luck mission. The first hard luck that the Mission suffered came in the form of floods. The original Santa Cruz Mission was located on the banks of the San Lorenzo River near what is now downtown Santa Cruz.