It’s a scorching afternoon in the Red Centre. The heat is palpable, radiating off the tarmac, as Chris ‘Brolga’ Barnes guides a group of visitors towards mystical Uluru. Telling stories of the bush, and pointing out the flora and fauna as they go, something catches Brolga’s eye. A fuzzy shape on the roadside. Quickly pulling over, he steps out of the car to investigate.
As Brolga approaches, the reality becomes clear: a kangaroo has been struck by a passing car. Heartbreakingly, for this mother, it’s too late. But, as the group begins to gather behind him, someone notices a faint movement… Nestled deep in the kangaroo’s pouch is a tiny joey, weak and frightened, but alive. Only four months old, this tiny joey would become one of the first of many rescued thanks to Chris ‘Brolga’ Barnes.
This chance encounter changed Brolga’s life forever. Fuelled by anger and frustration at the number of cars that passed this struggling joey, failing to help, Brolga resolved to make a change. For this tiny creature, Brolga took on the role of ‘Kangaroo Mum’, funding vet treatment and lovingly nursing the kangaroo back to health. This initial act quickly gained momentum, and in 2005, Brolga founded the Baby Kangaroo Rescue Centre. As well as offering a dedicated place where vulnerable joeys could be brought for care, education became a powerful part of the centre’s mission, as they sought to teach road users how to check a kangaroo’s pouch safely, and what to do if they discovered an orphaned joey.
Brolga’s connection to kangaroos began much earlier than this pivotal day in 2005, when he got a job as a teenager, working as the ‘Bird Guy’ at a zoo in Broome. One evening, as Brolga headed back to his accommodation, he heard a faint coughing coming from the room next door. Upon investigation, he discovered that the noises were coming from an orphaned joey named Josie. Like a baby, Josie needed bottle feeding every four hours, but Brolga didn’t hesitate to take on her care. It was this connection that fostered his love for kangaroos and sparked his desire to do more.
Despite the success of the Baby Kangaroo Rescue Centre, it wasn’t long before it became evident there was a need for something bigger. Although Australia’s Red Centre is teeming with wildlife, the nearest wildlife hospital was over 1,500km, or 20 hours’ drive, away. So, in 2011, the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs was official opened, expanding their work to welcome adult kangaroos, and later building their own dedicated Kangaroo Hospital.
The sanctuary has one simple philosophy: ‘Animals Come First’. Every day, the team will go on a patrol of the highway in search of injured kangaroos and orphaned joeys hidden in pouches. Back at the sanctuary, each animal is given medical attention and a plan is made based on the individual care that they need. Brolga affectionately refers to himself as the ‘Kangaroo Mum’, a title that perfectly captures the sanctuary’s work. Orphaned joeys are bottle-fed, held, comforted, and tucked into pouch-like slings until they are strong enough to explore on their own.
The sanctuary’s goal is always to nurture each kangaroo until it can be released back into the wild. When that isn’t possible, the centre’s vast 188 acres offer a safe environment where the kangaroos can roam freely, and live just how they would out in the bush.
Since it’s establishment, the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs has expanded its work, and it now welcomes creatures great and small, including emus, wallabies, wombats and even camels.
Brolga’s incredible work has earned the Kangaroo Sanctuary lots of publicity, including several features on the big screen. The BBC and National Geographic approached the sanctuary with the idea of creating a documentary series showcasing its remarkable conservation work. Delighted by the chance to educate an even wider audience, Brolga agreed and ‘Kangaroo Dundee’ quickly captured viewers’ hearts with its colourful characters and the endlessly entertaining stories of the sanctuary’s day-to-day activities.
Now, this fascinating and heart-warming story is being turned into a feature film. Created by the team that brought you ‘Paddington’, the movie ‘Kangaroo’ will transport you straight to the Australian Outback. Inspired by the life of Chris ‘Brolga’ Barns, the film follows a disgruntled TV host, Chris, as he finds himself stranded in a remote Outback town. Forming an unlikely friendship with a young girl named Charlie, the pair come together to take care of injured joeys.
Filmed in Alice Springs, the film showcases the Red Centre’s spectacular scenery, as well as offering an insight into the unique challenges of Outback life. Many of the joeys rescued by the Kangaroo Sanctuary are featured in the movie, paying a testament to Brolga’s work, as it’s evident how much they are thriving under the Kangaroo Sanctuary’s care.
‘Kangaroo’ the movie is coming to UK cinemas on the 30th of January 2026. You’ll be transported to the Australian Outback for an inspiring story of friendship, resilience and the importance of looking after nature.
Yes! One of the main ways that the Kangaroo Sanctuary is able to keep up their incredible work is thanks to funds raised through tours. Guided tours take place in the late afternoon, as most of its residents are nocturnal, so it’s important that they aren’t disturbed during the day. At dusk, the kangaroos are gradually starting to wake up, so you can meet the endearing residents and enjoy this spectacular habitat with a beautiful backdrop, during a spectacular Red Centre sunset.
Sunset tours need to be pre-booked, and they take place each Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. With three hours to explore, you’ll be taught all about the endemic Red Kangaroos, and you’ll get a behind the scenes look at the work that the sanctuary does. During your leisurely walk through the site’s 188 acres, you might happen upon some of the iconic characters from ‘Kangaroo Dundee’ (as seen on the BBC and National Geographic) or the ‘Kangaroo’ movie too.
The Kangaroo Sanctuary is situated within Alice Springs, a town known as the gateway to the Red Centre. Your visit to the Kangaroo Sanctuary can easily be incorporated into any holiday to the Red Centre, just get in touch let our Australia Experts know what you would like to do.
Northern Territory holidays by Freedom Destinations
Grace joined the Marketing Team at Freedom Destinations after she returned from three months backpacking around Australia. Her long-haul travels have also taken her to Canada, the U.S. and South East Asia so far, but her destination wish list is far from complete!
