We like to make an annual visit to the Kangaroo Creek Farm, and it’s a wonderful place to take friends and family when they’re visiting from out of town.
I want to be clear that I’m normally not a fan of zoos or aquariums in that the animals in them are often clearly miserable and living in conditions that are not suited to their needs. That said, I can’t help but notice how well-loved and cared for all of the animals are at Kangaroo Creek Farm, and that their needs obviously come first. There are restricted hours for visiting so that the animals get plenty of time away from the public, careful instructions are given about how to behave (and how not to behave) around the animals, there are sections where the animals are permitted but humans are not so that any wallaby or kangaroo that doesn’t want to socialize with people can hang out in the shade and not be touched, and there is always plenty of staff around to supervise.
The animals have a lot of room, are well socialized, and I’ve never seen an animal that appeared to be in distress due to humans at this place. I say it that way because I did watch a little gang of male ducks unkindly chase a female duck out of a pond and she was clearly not pleased about it but that seems to be more about natural pecking order than anything “man made”. Also, the term “farm” is a bit of a loose one in that animals are not being bred and sold for meat here. It is clear to me that the owners put a lot of love and hard work into making a nice life for the animals.
Things of note:
- The farm has dedicated parking but it fills up early. There is free street parking but it is limited and is also very busy. We have always found a spot but coming right before opening time (10am) to find a spot is your best bet.
- There are a few designated disability spots directly inside the farm, and you must display your disability tag to park there.
- The driveway leading down to the farm is very steep but it is paved. One thing of note here is that there is a spot to turn around near the entrance at the bottom of the driveway, and we saw others drive down to let out elderly family members who had mobility challenges. When we paid our entrance fee, my husband asked the woman if he could please pull down to the bottom at the end of our visit as I’ve been having a particularly difficult time with my knees for the last little while (what he actually asked was along the lines of “Will it be alright if I just pull down to the bottom of the driveway when we’ve finished so that I can pick up my wife as she’s having some mobility issues?”). The woman at the gate indicated that only people with a disability tag could park at the bottom. He tried to explain that he wasn’t looking to park but just to pick me up and leave right away, as we saw multiple other vehicles do on our visit. The woman indicated again that we weren’t really welcome to do that. That encounter made me feel incredibly uncomfortable. I sometimes have a hard time speaking up when I’m looking to have my own needs met (the irony is that my career involves advocating for others, and I’m comfortable and confident doing that, but I digress) but I’ve been working on that. This experience made me feel very self-conscious about my body and its limitations. In the end, I left a little bit early, ahead of the others who were with me, so that I could make the long, steep climb back up the driveway at a very slow pace while taking a couple of short breaks for my aching joints. All of that said, I do still think this place is worth visiting based on every other wonderful experience I’ve had there. I refuse to let a single instance of ignorance (unintentional as it probably was) ruin a nice day!
- This is a farm; there is uneven ground, animal droppings, etc. so be aware of your surroundings and footing.
- There are port-a-pottys onsite for public use.
- There are plenty of places to sit down including metal lawn chairs with arms (a bit pinchy for me), long sturdy wooden benches, and sturdy wooden picnic tables. I appreciate the variety of places to sit when I need a little break.
Above: I get what they’re going for here and I’m sure they have to deal with all kinds of “silly” things. I agree that people should not use the “handicapped parking” without tags but, given my experience at the entrance, this felt a bit insulting. This sign is not at the entrance but is next to the “handicapped parking” spots further into the farm. I get it, because I want people who need the spaces to have access to them, but for people with invisible disabilities who aren’t using tags this kind of sign doesn’t feel kind. I’m not wearing high heels; I’m wearing knees that are riddled with pain and inflammation. Also, we didn’t want to park or even stop near the “handicapped parking” and we were still made to feel as though we were asking for something unreasonable. Again, the world does not revolve around my needs, and having a good time shouldn’t be ruined by my insecurities about some of the physical things I’m struggling with right now so onward and upward to the real stars of this place!
We are told that kangaroos and wallabies enjoy a lot of snoozing in the heat, especially after a nice breakfast. I think they have life figured out!
Above: This little group was hanging out in the shade of some tents in an area where humans weren’t to bother them, as indicated by some rope.
Above: Staff offer food pellets that you can feed to the kangaroos and wallabies.
Above: This gorgeous little goat was hanging around offering to take any stray food pellets off our hands. The goats are kept in a separate area. You can still pet them through the fence but I imagine that keeping the goats and kangaroos/wallabies separate is probably for their own safety.
As you will see from the pictures below, there are a lot of birds to be seen!
Above: These fluffy chickens are adorable. They look like feather dusters.
Above: This is the little gang of ducks that took over the pond and chased out the female. You can tell they’re trouble just by looking at them. ;o) Also, we later discovered that maybe all the chasing was a bit of…ahem…foreplay. Ha!
Above: This emu likes to patrol the fence. There was a little boy who was keeping a bit of distance between himself and the emu but was pacing along the perimeter behind him. It was very cute and the two of them had quite a game of it.
Above: Baby emus! They are like little dinosaurs!
Above: A duck with bedhead. Hee!
Above: There are a few different types of parrots including Cockatoos, an African Grey (that one sat on my shoulder for a while), and some other varieties that I’m not as familiar with. They were all characters and I’m very comfortable around large birds. I particularly enjoyed this cockatoo.
The kangaroos and the wallabies are the main attraction and many of them seem to enjoy a good pet and some pellets.
This fellow (picture below) seemed to truly enjoy people scratching his back, though I won’t include the pictures with people in them for their own privacy.
Below: Look at these beautiful little wallabies:
Below: A picturesque scene on the farm.
Last, but certainly not least are the capybaras, friend to all the animals!
There are plenty of other lovely creatures to be discovered including sugar gliders, pigs, a magnificent snake, baby kangaroos to swaddle, and so much more but I’ll leave it up to you to go and discover them for yourself.