An outback cafe in south-west Queensland is hoping to help diversify the drought-stricken livestock industry by creating a market for camel products.

The Cunnamulla Coffee Shop is now serving up burgers made with camel meat patties.

Manager Bec King said the product would be a great way to offer something different to tourists and locals in the region.

"I think we're quite adventurous as people, especially our taste buds," she said.

"Being able to offer something different to visitors and locals is absolutely great for the community."

Drought and diversification

Ms King said living in the drought affected region can be tough on small towns but expanding into new territory could be beneficial for Cunnamulla.

Cunnamulla camel burger sitting on a countertop at the Cunnamulla coffee shop. ( Supplied: Bec King )

"We're in really bad drought at the moment and my family, who have a property out here, had to sell a lot of their cattle to buy the coffee shop to keep them going," she explained.

"It's really hard for small communities in drought, it doesn't just hit a person's property it goes on much further, so you've got to try different things and offer an alternative.

"If [selling camel meat] could take off for one property, others could look into it too.

"I think we need to be diverse across all our businesses with the drought."

Ms King said the meat has a similar taste to beef mince.

"I think the biggest thing when you're eating it is to get your head around the fact that you're eating it," she said.

"I guess the difference is that it has a stronger smell to it when you're cooking."

Camels perfect fit for dry climates

Tony Lovell, who produces the patties, said the camel has a long history in the south-west, and that the product could help the town find another source of revenue.

"We want to use this product to get people to stop in Cunnamulla and get a sense of that history," he said.

"If the Cunnamulla camel burger can help play a role in broadening the economic base of the district that would be fantastic."

Camel is on the menu in outback Queensland in the form of burgers. ( ABC Gippsland: Zoe Ferguson )

Mr Lovell said the idea to use camel meat stemmed from a difficult period when he had to destock his own cattle.

"We got the camels from Betoota and a few from Richmond," he said.

"The idea was to have these camels in with our cattle so rumen bug transfer could happen to help our cattle perform better.

"We had to destock for seasonal reasons, and while the camels had smaller numbers, they were able to cope quite well because they browse and graze differently.

"Then we thought, 'what can we do with that?' so we got some processed down at an abattoir in Caboolture and made burger patties.

"The burger is something that is nice and simple — if there was a meat designed specifically for a burger, camel would come pretty close to perfect."

Julie Turnbull says she's excited to use camel hump fat to make soap. ( Supplied: Julie Turnbull )

A new market for dog food, soap and burgers

Mr Lovell said the plans for camel products won't stop there.

He hopes to create a freeze-dried dog food with the liver and kidneys, and has also supplied hump fat to local soap-maker Julie Turnbull.

"Beccy mentioned to me that they had camel fat and I said I'd have a go at making soap out of it," said Ms Turnbull.

"It's just the adventure of it, a new product and hopefully a new market."

The results of the soap will be available within the next six weeks.