Viewing kangaroo’s has been a top priority for me while visiting Australia but we started out with bad kangaroo karma. On our first countryside adventure we drove by a dead kangaroo on the side of the road and had to go back and take a better look at the poor thing. We have since learned that Aussie’s view kangaroo’s like we do deer; they are all over the countryside and quite a road hazard especially at dawn and dusk. After that, we visited a museum and saw many species of stuffed kangaroo’s and wallaby’s but this wasn’t quite what I had in mind for viewing kangaroo’s. We kept seeing yellow kangaroo crossing signs but I still hadn’t experienced any sightings.
The Australian countryside is vast so I figured the chances of seeing any of these, supposedly prevalent animals, weren’t very good. I started having “false sightings”, you know, like when you are thinking about something or really want something you see it everywhere. Tree stumps, rocks, tumbleweeds, irrigation systems and garbage cans all became imaginary kangaroo’s as I continued my search. Cows and sheep were also being mistaken for kangaroo’s and Paul had had just about enough when a loud “stop now” sighting request ended up being a horse.
After about a week of this “stop and go” routine one day we were driving through the Barossa Valley wine region and after several stops at what the Aussies refer to as “cellar doors” I spotted two kangaroo like looking animals resting in the shade under the grape vines. An immediate “stop and turn around” request followed and, with little traffic on the road, we were able to get a good look. Low and behold, it was a large male and smaller female kangaroo, both close enough for us to get a good look. The female got restless and stood up which allowed for an even better view and I got some pretty good pictures with my iPhone. Finally, success! We stopped for lunch to celebrate and while pursuing the venue we got quite the shock. Did you know that the Aussie’s eat kangaroo? Sure enough, there it was on the menu and, of course, Paul had to order it. I am not much of a meat eater but the loin was braised in lentils and figs so tasted pretty good, albeit a little tough for me.
I still hadn’t had enough kangaroo sightings and was really looking forward to our trip to Kangaroo Island, which is a short ferry ride off the coast of Southern Australia. It is supposedly teeming with kangaroo’s but after touring around most of the day we still hadn’t had any sightings. I was quite discouraged but as I approached one of our last stops for the day at a Eucalyptus Oil Farm, there were not one, not two, but three small kangaroo’s foraging around the entryway. After my initial glee and a trip back to the car for my camera, I became concerned about how I would get around them to enter the store. After a woman with a baby carriage quickly navigated around them I decided to take my chances as well. I soon learned they were young orphans being fostered by the business owners who will release them back into the bush when they are adults. This was the best kind of experience to have as they were accustomed to having people around them all day. They are quite “bottom heavy” animals and made quite the thud hopping around on the wooden deck. I got lots of good pictures and now feel I have gotten a good glimpse of kangaroo’s. We will stop at several nature parks as we make our way to the west coast of the island tomorrow so several more “up close and personal” experiences await. We also learned there is an active family group close to our B & B so maybe we will get another lucky sighting in the wild. What a fun way to wrap up our travels in Southern Australia. 2019