First time trying to spot kangaroos in Australia? This guide explains where kangaroos live, the best places to see kangaroos, and the best time of day to find them in the wild.
Do kangaroos live in Australia’s big cities?
As much as we’d like to believe the stereotype that kangaroos can be seen bouncing down major city streets, the truth is rather more mundane – in Australia’s big cities, cars and buses have long since chased the indigenous fauna out.
However, that’s not to say that kangaroos can’t be found in suburban streets on the fringes of cities – sometimes they nip out of the bush into cul-de-sacs.
This is particularly true of Canberra.
But driving around nondescript suburban streets is not a productive way of spending an Australian holiday.
So what’s the best way of chalking off a kangaroo encounter?
Where to see kangaroos in Australia: Stick to the right areas
There are two types of kangaroos – red and grey.
The reds are bigger, but you’re more likely to see the greys as they live in the areas in the eastern, southern and south-western parts of Australia where people actually live.
The reds take the rest, apart from the far north of the country.
The easiest shorthand way of remembering it is that the grey is a bush kangaroo, and the red is an outback kangaroo.
The latter you might spot hanging around the outskirts of outback settlements – these are usually built near water sources, so it’s no surprise that the red kangaroos are in the same place.
Best kangaroo habitats: Head away from the hills
Kangaroos like some types of bush much better than others.
They’re generally not all that keen on mountaineering, and thick jungle-style rainforest is a turn-off for them too.
But they might be found near both.
They like flat, open spaces so they can see what’s coming and bound off quickly without impediment if necessary.
Therefore, farmland near forest is a decent bet, as are campgrounds in National Parks. The Euroka Campground in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, New South Wales is a perfect example.
Unexpected places to see kangaroos: Tee off
But you know what else fits that flat, green and open category?
Golf courses.
Kangaroos seem to love golf courses, and golfers on country courses are often resigned to having them as extra obstacles.
It’s not a case of desperately hunting around the course to find one hiding on its own, either.
Kangaroos tend to hang out in groups – mobs – and they’re largely unperturbed by flying golf balls.
Once you see one, you’ll probably see eight or nine. The Anglesea Golf Course, one of the top wildlife experiences on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria is a prime example of roos hanging out by the fairways.
Best time to see kangaroos: Get up early
As any driver who has had to run the gauntlet on the roads of country Australia will know, kangaroos are at their most active around dawn and dusk.
This makes sense – it’s cooler, so easier to get around and go about the necessary roo business.
They’re also easier to spot when they’re moving rather than lying down behind a bush – so if you get up early and head to the right spot, you’ll have a far better chance of seeing them.
Seeing kangaroos guaranteed: Cheat
If you’ve not got lucky spotting them in the wild, then there’s always the cheat’s method of heading to a wildlife sanctuary where they roam within the confines.
There’s at least one such sanctuary in every major Australian city, and they all sell little cones of food so you can hand-feed the roos. Great examples include the Cleland Wildlife Park near Adelaide, the Ballarat Wildlife Park and the Caversham Wildlife Park near Perth.
Which is superb for those much-desired photo opportunities, but lacks that sense of achievement…
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