The kangaroo sanctuary that inspired a new Australian film

Chris “Brolga″⁣ Barns doesn’t look like any mum I’ve met. Built like a telegraph pole with an Akubra topping his two-metre stature and a pair of joeys tucked under his arm, he looks like a bushman who’s raided the zoo gift shop. But behind the bristled face and RM Williams boots is a gentle giant with a cause.

The roo man of the NT … Brolga Barns with one of his charges.

Brolga, named after the long-legged Australian native bird, has devoted his life to rescuing orphaned joeys at his property just south of Alice Springs/Mparntwe. What started as a mercy mission for two stricken rescue roos in 2009, has grown into a full-time pursuit and tourist attraction. Today, the sanctuary releases about 300 rehabilitated red kangaroos back into the wild each year.

Bottle-feeding a joey.

Brolga’s passion inspired a BBC documentary series, Kangaroo Dundee, and legions of overseas fans, enamoured with the larrikin Aussie who shares his bed with “pinkies” (immature joeys), and can be seen nursing them bare-chested in the moonlight. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before the big screen beckoned, and now a children’s comedy – Kangaroo, loosely based on Brolga’s life – is set for release next year.

When I visit the sanctuary, filming has just wrapped and Brolga, who takes his rising stardom with modest grace, is leading the first public tour in three months. He introduces himself as a “full-time kangaroo mum” to 40 babies. Among them are Margot and Jumper, who peep between his arms from pillowcase pouches – all ears and long noses. The sanctuary is also home to 20 adult kangaroos not fit for release back into the wild.

Mobbed by the mob… Brolga and some of his joeys.

It’s sunset, and the roos are stirring from the day’s slumber. Brolga has a pail of feed and milk for the young ones, although they don’t need to be bottle-fed any more. “It’s like a glass of wine at the end of the day,” he says, with the affection of a dad doting on a newborn. The mob follows him like the Pied Piper, swarming his feet and standing on hind legs to paw at his belly.

Brolga knows them all by name. Wendy, the chatterbox; Disco Dave with the broken tail; Tiny Tim and Beyonce. Bronco was rescued from local kids whose uncle was threatening to eat their voraciously growing pet. Colly, who loves a chest scratch, was an elderly woman’s (illegal) house pet. “When the funeral parlour came to take the body away, they found a kangaroo sleeping on the lounge,” Brolga grins. “She would have gone from seven years of being in air-conditioning and watching the football to this…” He motions to the red dirt and scrub, blushing fuchsia in the advancing dusk.

Brolga hand-built his 76-hectare sanctuary, toiling in up to 45-degree heat for more than two years to create a predator-proof haven for his mob. The roos are mostly victims of car strikes – rescued and nursed from their dead mothers’ pouches – and there’s a lesson in that for us. Slow down on the road at night, check roadkill for young, and carry a pillowcase as a makeshift pouch. Brolga is also on a recruitment drive for more at-home kangaroo mums. Each visitor is given about five minutes’ cuddle time with Margot or Jumper as we stroll through his bush fortress.

As a responsible tourist, I’m conditioned to not touch wildlife – in captivity or otherwise – so having the chance to cuddle and pat a roo (just not on the head) is a rare treat.

A snuggle with one of his adopted kangaroos.

Some animals are off-limits. The sexually mature males are fenced during public visits; Brolga’s three hospital admissions following run-ins with alpha male Roger (who has since died) demonstrate why. Also off-limits is any chatter about the film. We know it’s partially shot at the sanctuary, stars some big Australian talent – including Ryan Corr, Deborah Mailman and Brooke Satchwell – and is about a former weatherman who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indigenous girl while rescuing orphaned joeys.

Does Brolga get a cameo? Not sure, but his babies do.

THE DETAILS

VISIT
Public sunset tours at the Kangaroo Sanctuary Alice Springs run from Wednesday to Friday, adults $105, children $95 (ages 7+). Private tours available for young children. See kangaroosanctuary.com

STAY
Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters is about two kilometres from the centre of Alice Springs and has modern rooms, various dining options and a large pool. See ihg.com/crowneplaza

The writer travelled with the assistance of Tourism Northern Territory. See northernterritory.com