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The Kangaroo TrailTM will take you on an unparalleled journey of discovery across the vast Australian continent and its offshore islands. You will see supreme athletes such as one of the four species of plains dwelling kangaroos, rock climbers who seem to defy gravity such as one of the fifteen species of rock-wallaby, and one of the best noses for truffles in the world, the long-nosed potoroo. The trail will take you into the hinterland from each of the state and territory capitals to explore the fascinating world of the bounders of the bush. Your leaders will be one of the six species of large kangaroos who are the most recognisable of the multitude of macropods. In their wild habitat you will follow the mob to their smaller kin and learn about the diversity and structure in the communities of Australia’s unique marsupial grazers and browsers. The more adventurous can follow a Big Red into the spectacular landscapes and big skies of the Outback. The Wallaroos that span the continent will lead you into the most spectacular wilderness through the gorges and ranges of the Great Divide, the Flinders Ranges, the Red Centre, Cape York, Arnhem Land, the Kimberley and the Pilbara.  Our MissionOur aim is
to be the flagship of a ‘See Australia’ promotion based around wildlife tourism
with the marvellous mob of marsupials - the kangaroos and their kind. Through
partnerships with conservation agencies, tourism organisations, operators and
gateway communities across the continent and offshore islands our vision is to
place Australia at the forefront of nature-based tourism destinations for both
our international visitors and our citizens. Australia will be the
destination for seekers of the natural world as we capitalise on our unique
wildlife heritage. We seek to expand wildlife tourism with the kangaroos as our
flagship fauna by revealing an array of opportunities and a diversity of
experiences. We encourage visitors to make it a mission to see all of
Australia’s species of kangaroos so that their tourist dollar will have real and
realisable benefits through the economic activity of wildlife tourism to nature
conservation and the local communities and agencies who maintain habitat for
flagship species such as the kangaroos. We unashamedly promote kangaroos as a
wild living entity to be enjoyed and appreciated many times over for their
fascinating behaviour and biology and not their meat and hide products.
Information for travellersThe web portal for Tourism Australia is www.australia.com. Each
State and Territory has a tourism portal to assist you in planning your journey.
Furthermore, each State and Territory has a Parks and Wildlife authority where
you can gain more information on the national parks and nature reserves which
are your destinations and on the fauna and flora you can expect to see. We list
the websites for the best-place-to-see destinations in the fact sheets for each
species or recognised subspecies . Air services to national and regional
gateways are provided by various carriers including
Virgin Blue,
Tiger Airways,
Regional Express and the Qantas group. Viewing kangaroos and their kindThe best place to see each species or
subspecies of kangaroos and their kind has been selected to maximise the
likelihood of close viewing in the wild. However, with the exception of the
Musky Rat-kangaroo, species are most active at night leaving cover and resting
places around dusk and retiring back to these refuges around dawn. The best time
to view most species is therefore towards dusk and into the early evening when
they commence foraging. If you have the option, you should choose still evenings
without rain as most species retreat to cover or are particularly flighty under
inclement weather conditions, especially strong winds. Some species habitually
use dense cover (e.g. long-footed potoroo) and will be very difficult to see.
However, most emerge into clearings or open habitat adjacent to forest edges or
sparser shelter, and stationing yourself at such sites is usually rewarding.
Rock-wallabies often sun themselves in cooler weather and may remain visible
amongst the rocks towards dusk and for a period after dawn. During dry and warm
periods, water bodies are an attractant and drinking, like foraging, usually
starts around dusk and continues into the early evening. Many species are
inactive for a few hours around midnight as they digest a filled gut before
foraging again. The best strategy to employ for your
viewing experience is to get local knowledge from wildlife rangers. Back this up
with your own observations of sign such as faecal pellets (usually black and
hard and not massed like rabbits or goats), tail drags and foot prints in
suitable substrates like sandy soils. Station yourself comfortably in a good
viewing location against a background that masks or disrupts your shape, and
wait patiently for your subjects to emerge. If you prefer to stalk, then an
oblique rather than a direct approach to a subject is preferable. Macropods have
excellent senses of smell and hearing but vision is optimised for the night
rather than the day and so you can mask your presence by being downwind, quiet
and against a non-contrasting background. At night you will need a form of
illumination – strong torch (flashlight) or spotlight. Detection is best
achieved by scanning at maximum illumination but observation should be by
holding the subject at the edge of the light or at minimal intensity if your
device has a dimmer or switchable intensity (e.g. LED devices). Red filtering of
light only has an effect through reduced intensity and not colour and so it is
not recommended. Natural behaviour will be maximised and disturbance minimised
if you have access to a generation 2 or better Night Vision Device supplemented
by infrared illumination (e.g. spotlight with infrared transmission filter or
array of infrared LED). However, NVDs are very expensive and binoculars and dim
supplementary lighting may suffice. CreditsThis website is the electronic sibling of 'The Kangaroo Trail Map', a large
format map of the best place to see the kangaroos and their kin. This map will
be available for tourism information centres when released in August 2008. This
is a not for profit initiative developed to provide an educational medium to
promote respect, compassion and understanding of Australia's iconic kangaroo
fauna. This project is a private endeavour and not supported by
any Australian government tourism or wildlife agency although modest assistance
was invited. However, we do thank NT, SA, TAS and QLD tourism for letters of
encouragement and Tourism Australia for assistance with the launch of the
Kangaroo Trail Map. Likewise assistance with distribution was sought from an airline
that flies the world with a kangaroo on its tail. However, the only wallabies
they support and promote play rugby. Contact Information
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Disclaimer: The information contained on this website has been prepared by rootourismTM, a wildlife tourism information provider. The information is general only and does not purport to be comprehensive. The currency of the information is at the time of production only. New information and the correction of inaccuracies may be placed on this web site but there is no obligation to do so. The information is not intended to provide or make any recommendation on which you should rely – if you rely on this information then you do so at your own risk. The producers of this website exclude any liability for any error or inaccuracy in, or omissions from, the pages and any loss or damage which you or any other person may suffer. The producers do not necessarily endorse any company, product, service or organisation represented on the website.Send mail to
webmaster@rootourism.com
with questions or comments about this web site.
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