The Land Down Under, Part 6: KANGAROOS!!!

I've lost track of how long I've been following Kangaroo Sanctuary of Alice Springs (main website) on Instagram (their Insta profile), but I suppose it's at least three years. I probably found them on some random cross-post on Facebook, saw something cute, and decided to follow them. It wasn't long before I was, well, maybe a bit obsessed with kangaroos.

Look, they're ridiculous. (This is a compliment.) They have enormous back feet and thick tails, with short little T-Rex arms. They have gloriously large ears, the babies ride around in pouches, and for heaven's sake...they HOP. Their snoots are dainty, they have long eyelashes, and they are completely unique to Australia. 

What's not to love?! 🦘

Going into my Sydney trip, I knew that visiting the Kangaroo Sanctuary would be tricky. Australia is a rather large island, and Alice Springs is not a simple day trip from Sydney. The easiest way to reach it is by plane. To complicate matters, the sanctuary only does sunset tours because--add this to your list of kangaroo knowledge--'roos are more or less nocturnal. They also only do tours a few days a week, for reasons I learned on my visit and will discuss later in this post.

But one thing you have to understand, is that I really, really needed to visit this particular kangaroo sanctuary. Zoo kangaroos, yes, yes. Very cute. But I needed to see Brolga's kangaroos.

A bit of background, from their web site:

"I, Chris 'Brolga' Barns, first established the Baby Kangaroo Rescue Centre in Alice Springs in 2005. I then built The Kangaroo Sanctuary Alice Springs, a 188 acre wildlife sanctuary for our rescued orphaned baby kangaroos and adult kangaroos, which I opened in 2011. Our mission is to educate and encourage people to rescue and care for kangaroos and other wildlife and animals. Our motto is Animals Come First."

Brolga and his wife, Tahnee, and their team of dedicated volunteers have saved hundreds of kangaroos, sending most of them back out to wild lives in the bush, and keeping those that cannot survive a wild life on a lovely, fenced-in sanctuary, protected from predators and other challenges.

I'll spare you the planning details, but suffice it to say that I got myself a ticket for a tour, a round-trip plane reservation on Qantas, and a room at a local hotel for the night. When the "kerfluffle" went down at the beginning of my trip, my biggest reason for not caring how much I had to spend to resolve it was that cancelling this trip-within-a-trip would have broken my heart. Truly.

Besides, I've been telling all my students I might get to hold a joey, and they'll be expecting pictures.

Yes, there are pictures. Be patient.

I started my morning a bit early, taking just my backpack as an overnight bag and catching the nearby train at the Circular Quay. There's a direct line to the airport, and in twenty easy minutes I was at the domestic terminals. Security check was an absolute breeze, so I was off to find some breakfast and wait for my flight.

The flight itself was an easy three hours, with free wi-fi (full coverage, not just messaging), and decent comfort. I did play on my phone a bit, but I also used the time to read a book I had brought along. 

As you might expect, Qantas has it's own whole
terminal at the airport. 

I flew a kangaroo plane to see kangaroos.

Sydney, as I've mentioned in a previous post, is quite lush and green. Parks, water, flora of all kinds. As we flew West, however, Australia changes, and turns a ruddy red-brown. 

Nearing Alice Springs

We landed around noon, and deplaned onto the tarmac. There are zero jetways at the Alice Springs airport. It's small.

Excited Meg

While all of Australia is working to acknowledge the original owners of the land, Alice Springs has a larger population of indigenous people than a city like Sydney (or at least that I saw in the more touristy spots). 

Helpful

Even the airport carpet has an Aboriginal design.

I wasn't entirely sure how I was going to get the eight miles from airport to my hotel (my ride to the sanctuary was settled), but immediately on walking outside I saw a large shuttle. I asked the woman at the stand next to it if I could use it to get to the Crowne Plaza, and with a friendly Aussie smile, she told me that yes, that was possible. She asked what brought me to Alice, and I responded, "Oh, I'm here to visit the kangaroo sanctuary."

"Oh, great! I was just on the phone to them this morning...there's a pack of feral dogs running around right now, so I called to let them know to be on the lookout."

I had grabbed an Alice Springs brochure in the lobby, so I waited on the bus and flipped through that as she found more passengers.

The ride to my hotel was uneventful, and I was able to check in early, drop my bag off, and head out. There's not a whole lot to do and see in Alice Springs, and I didn't have quite enough time to walk all the way to town (about a mile-and-a-half), so I opted to walk down the road to a botanical garden, then back to the hotel, where I could get food at the restaurant.

I took this pic because this room phone is
identical to my classroom phone and it amused
me. 

All rooms were in blocks that surrounded inner
courtyards with natural landscape.

I set off down the street, along the Todd River, which...had no water. It's "the dry" right now, and, well, most of the time. Still, it was a pretty walk. Alice Springs is basically in a desert region, completely different to Sydney.

My first encounter with an Aussie spider. I have
no idea what type it is, if it bites/is poisonous.
I only took a picture. 

The Botanic Garden was not some lush, green place, of course, but it was interesting to see the plants and trees of this part of the world--and the birds. I sat and watched and listened to the birds for about twenty minutes. 

I took the picture of the description at this angle
to avoid having it obscured by my shadow.

It came out hard to see in the photo, but the rock
had bits of sparkle in it.

This made me feel at home. 😂

On returning to my hotel to eat, I saw these grey birds with pink breasts on the lawn. I knew I had seen them before on the Kangaroo Sanctuary's Instagram, but I couldn't remember what they were called. I asked Brolga later on the tour, and he said they are gullahs. 

Also, I swear to goddess, Australian birds are little beggars. The day before, I'd had one at the zoo, and today in Alice, I had the bird below watching me eat. A few days later, two pigeons near Bondi Beach would ignore my shooing and brazenly creep closer to my breakfast.

After a meal, I went back to my room to freshen up, double-check that I had what I needed, and then walked out to the parking lot, where the bus was to pick me up. The sanctuary doesn't allow visitors to just drive up; instead they send a bus around town to pick you up at a location on their list. I had chosen the convention center, which was right next door to my hotel. (This is, indeed, why I chose my hotel.)

My ticket said a pick-up time of about 4:00 (depending on how many stops before me), so I walked out at 3:45 because

I was NOT

                going

                

                                to miss this.

I saw two men standing on the lawn, and I had a sneaking suspicion they were there for the same reason. I approached them to ask, "Are you waiting for the kangaroo sanctuary tour?" 

My answer came in two American accents: "Yes...hey, Chico State!!" (I was wearing a Chico State t-shirt.)

"Yeah, that's where I went to college!"

"I used to live in Chico for a while! Do you still live there?"

"No, Sacramento now--Antelope, specifically."

"I know it!" 

We passed the next twenty or so minutes chatting about California, world travel, and what to expect at the sanctuary. They had no idea, had never seen the Instagram. 

Finally, the bus arrived. There was an empty seat in the front, so I sat there, and we were off. 

EXCITED

Along the way, we watched a bit of a documentary made about Brolga and one of his original rescued joeys, Roger. Roger grew to be an alpha, well over six feet tall, and mean. He viewed Brolga as a threat, and acted accordingly.

Finally, we arrived. 

As the bus pulled up the drive, I saw the man himself, Brolga, walking out of the building, and I almost squealed. Since I was up front, I was the first off the bus. 

Brolga greeted me with a warm smile, and I, as I tend to do when I meet people I'm excited to meet (see: any most about meeting Keane), fan-girled a little.

"Oh my gosh, I am so excited to meet you!!" 

He grinned at that, commented on the outline of California on my shirt ("Yes, that's where I'm from!") and I mentioned that I've been following the Instagram for a while now. "I've lost track of how long, but maybe three years?" 

Brolga (left) and the bus driver.

"Brolga," by the way, is a nickname. Once everyone was off the bus, he told us that a brolga is a stork-like bird, with long skinny legs. As he is 6'7" with long legs, he took on the nickname many years ago and never got rid of it. He told us his profession is "Kangaroo Mum," and a bit of history about how this place came to be.

You'll notice in the picture above that he has a bag on his shoulder. It took me a few minutes, but I quickly realized what was in that bag, but he was clearly wanting to surprise the people in the group who don't know. 

He didn't keep us waiting long, before introducing us to Margot, an 8-month-old orphaned joey who is still mostly pouch-bound.

Even the men were squeeing.

Joeys spend most of the first year of their life in the pouch, even as they grow fur and get bigger. At eight months, Margo is just learning to hop, in short little bits of time outside of her pillowcase pouch. As her legs get stronger, she'll spend more and more time out of it. Before long, she'll be ready to be released to the wild.

That FACE

Brolga took us through the small sanctuary building into the fenced-off part of the property, telling us that the fences extend a few feet underground, because the natural predators of kangaroos--dingoes, feral dogs--will dig to get in. 

We emerged behind the building, where a low chicken-wire fence separated us from the rest of the grounds. There was a laundry basket waiting.

I knew what was going to happen immediately.

See, orphaned joeys, missing the warmth and companionship of a mama, do better when they are paired with an orphan of similar age. So each joey gets its own pouch, but they are bundled in groups in laundry baskets, raised together, and eventually released together. 

Brolga explained this, then revealed what was under the blanket...a 7-month-old joey named Sharona.

I almost melted from the cute.

In the meantime, we received a visitor. A slightly older 'roo, Disco Dave, curious about the crowd of people, hopped over the chicken wire and came to see if he, too, could get some attention. (Of course he could.)

Disco Dave

And then...

Then came the part I had been hoping for.

Brolga said that everyone would get a chance to hold one of the babies. "Who would like to start?"

My hand shot up so fast that everyone laughed and I sheepishly said, "I've been so excited for this part!!" 

Brolga gently handed over wee Sharona as I handed my phone to one of my American bus-buddies to take pictures. As Dad would say later, "Your smile is as wide as your face!" 

Is there a print of this coming from Shutterfly as we speak, to be featured in my classroom? 

Duh.

Is this now my Facebook profile picture?

Duh again.

I held her for a few minutes, cooing at her that she is so tiny, so precious, so perfect. I knew other people would want a turn, so I handed her over as we set off outside the chicken wire to walk around the sanctuary grounds. 

Disco Dave accompanied us, and other kangaroos, like his BFFs and former basket-budies Tiny Tim and Beyonce joined us, too. Brolga handed out some bottles of watered-down kangaroo formula (cow's milk can cause them to go blind!!) and people gave bottles to some of the older orphans. All of these older kangaroos are permanent residents, as for a variety of reasons, they would not survive in the wild. Disco Dave, for example, had a broken tail when he came in as a joey. While it healed, there was so much nerve damage, he cannot stand up as other male kangaroos do when defending themselves. He would lose any fight he had in the wild, so he will stay for his life--he is also neutered, so that he won't grow muscular as non-neutered males do.

Tiny Tim and Beyonce, as his basket-buddies, also stayed. They were healthy enough to be re-wilded, but Brolga told us that once that family bond is established, he doesn't separate kangaroos. 

Brolga carried around a bucket the whole evening, filled with some sort of grain treat the kangaroos love to snack on, and tossing fistfuls of it for the roos we encountered on our walk. 

"Thanks Mum!" 

Look at this perfectly ridiculous and beautiful
creature. 

Disco Dave (you can see his tail was damaged
in his past). 

We were allowed to pet any sanctuary kangaroo that approached us, but asked to keep it to the back (which they like), or the chest (which they love). Turns out, they hate head scratches, and will back away from that!

I wasn't sure what their fur would feel like, but I think I rather expected it to be wiry. 

Turns out kangaroo fur is the softest, most plush fur of any animal I've pet. It is as soft as a rabbit or a cat, but so much thicker. Glorious!

SO SOFT

Disco Dave, being a total character, came up to groom me, and would not let go of my hand. I fell deeply in love. I will never be the same.

(Turns out he grooms everyone. Humph. He told me I was his one and only.)

The tour lasted...an hour? Two hours? I lost track. I was gone a total of about three hours, so I suppose it was two hours of walking, or nearly so. I never once looked at the time, I just watched kangaroos, chatted with Brolga, listened to his stories and facts, and enjoyed every single minute of my time there. 

Of course, I took pictures and videos, too, because I had to share with my friends back home just how wonderful this place is.

A very large termite mound (but not the wood 
eating kind) and a smaller mound of attacking
ants.

The picture below is of Shiloh and one of her grown babies. Shiloh (left) currently has a baby in her pouch, and she was not inclined to approach a group of strangers. Apparently, she even picks and chooses when she lets Brolga approach her, now that she has a passenger. Her older daughter, while sanctuary-born, is not comfortable with people. Brolga explained that they let sanctuary-born kangaroos be shy of people, and don't force a relationship. 

He also told us that the older baby still likes a spot at the milk bar, and will stick her head in Shiloh's pouch, knock the younger joey off the teat, and take her fill!

Along our walk, we came to a memorial for one of the original sanctuary residents--Roger. Roger and two female joeys were the first three kangaroos that Brolga was "mum" to, taking them in, feeding them at all hours, comforting them. As they grew up, he knew they couldn't be re-wilded, and he was told they would probably have to be euthanized. This was, of course, not an option after all the care he put into raising them to healthy adulthood. He started calling zoos and wildlife parks, but no one wanted more kangaroos (they're rather a dime a dozen in Australia). 

So he started a sanctuary. 

Roger, as I mentioned earlier, grew to be an alpha male--over six feet tall, full of muscle, and ready to defend his family against anyone who stood upright to him. 

Humans, of course, stand upright, but in kangaroo body language, that's a challenge. 

So Roger and Brolga went round-and-round, and Brolga has scars to prove it. Still, he loved that 'roo, and the other two. And one, "Queen" Abi, lived to a grand old age and just died a few months ago. The whole sanctuary felt her loss keenly.

Wild kangaroos live a similar lifespan to a large dog, an average of about 12-14 years. Roger died at 12, after a slower last couple of years with arthritis (common for males with all that muscle). His legacy is not only the beautiful sanctuary, but his bloodline--he sired many of the resident kangaroos there. 

Roger is buried nearby, in front of his favorite tree for sleeping under in the hot, sunny days. After the Kangaroo Dundee documentary, Roger became very famous across Australia and even the world. Many museums actually asked if they could taxidermy him and display him, but Brolga just couldn't do it. Instead, he buried him at his home.

Incidentally, Roger is the reason that tours are only a few days a week. Brolga knew he could not invite tourists in for tours unless he separated Roger, so he built a caged-in area at one corner of the sanctuary and every Wednesday, he would find Roger, who would get mad at him for daring to exist in an upright state, and start chasing him. Brolga would run, "from wherever I found him on the grounds to that fenced area over there," and lock Roger away. However, kangaroos are social, and he couldn't bear the idea of keeping Roger separate for more than a few days at a time. So when tours were done, Roger was let back out. 

"And this kept you in shape, huh?" I quipped.

A big laugh. "Yes, all that running kept me in great shape." 

Roger's grave. 

The sun was setting, so pictures get scarcer after this, but no less beautiful. Desert sunsets are magnificent.

We walked along, people taking their turns to cuddle Margot and Sharona, everyone quietly listening to Brolga and asking lots of questions. I asked him about the birds I'd seen outside my hotel. "I've seen you post them on your Instagram...I just can't remember what they're called!" 

Two kangaroos looking for the grass they love.

We had circled around back to the sanctuary building. We went back inside and Brolga noticed some of us looking at this beautiful painting of Roger. 

"A 16-year-old painted that!" 

Impressive.

This post is an accounting of what I did and what I saw. I'm not sure I have the words to describe how special, how beautiful, this sanctuary is. I urge you to take a look at their Instagram, the videos they post of these gorgeous, ridiculous (again, a compliment) creatures. 

One thing I can tell you with 100% certainty is that Brolga deeply loves his work, and the kangaroos he has raised. It shines through in the way he speaks of the personalities and characteristics of his sanctuary herd, and in the way he adored Roger, even though Roger saw him as a threat. I did not get to meet his wife Tahnee, but her love for their sanctuary shines through their Instagram (they also have camels, but those might be at their private home up the road from the sanctuary). 

Was it worth it? The extra airfare and hotel costs, the three-hour flight, the trouble of leaving Sydney for about 18 hours...was it worth it?

Absolutely. 💓