It was right around the time we passed the fourth or fifth sign warning us to beware of emus and kangaroos that it happened.
There we were, driving along the mostly deserted road to Nambung National Park in Western Australia, the Indian Ocean on one side, and a lot of rust-colored dirt stretching off into the distance on the other.
“Last time we were up this way, we saw a whole bunch of kangaroos,” Lindy was saying.
I immediately shifted my gaze out the passenger side window, where a flat landscape punctuated with prickly bushes and yellow wildflowers was rolling by under a blue-gray sky. I looked harder, hoping to pick out a hopping patch of brown. I really, REALLY wanted to see some wild kangaroos in Australia.
But nothing could have prepared me for what happened next.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement on the opposite side of the road. But before I could say anything, a small brown kangaroo – maybe a meter high – hopped out into the road and right in front of our car.
My uncle, who was driving, slammed on the breaks. Everyone in the car gasped. And the kangaroo collided with the side of the hood.
As it went tumbling over the roof, Lindy was screaming “Fuck, fuck, fuck, bugger, fuck!” while her daughter Hannah was crying and her son Aedan was looking confused in his car seat.
It took us a few moments to realize that the kangaroo, after its high-flying feat, had hopped off again into the prickly bushes. We told 8-year-old Hannah that this clearly meant that it was okay.
After getting out of the car to survey the damage and allow us all to compose ourselves, my uncle got back behind the wheel. He started laughing.
“Well, welcome to Western Australia,” he said to me. “Let’s just hope we don’t hit an emu on the way back.”
——
I know that hitting kangaroos with your car is common in Australia – kind of how it’s common to hit deer in the U.S. But it was still unexpected! Have you ever had a similar unexpected animal encounter while traveling?
Photos (in order) by: Shek Graham and PicklesAddie
For another tale of car vs. kangaroo (and a good argument for purchasing care rental insurance in OZ), check this story out.
Oh! Poor kangaroo! I hope he was okay… I would have completely flipped out if that had happened to me!
Emily S. recently posted..The Most Beautiful Cathedral of them All
I hope it was okay, too! It DID hop away though…
It was a pretty crazy thing to have happened. I mean, I figured I would see some kangaroos in OZ. But not this way!
Poor Poor kangaroo! I have to say, I saw a lot of roadkill on the roads in Queensland who weren’t lucky enough to hop away. At one point I saw a roo and a few metres later a joey. That really upset me. Poor things.
I hate seeing roadkill in any country, but I can’t imagine seeing dead kangaroos along the side of the road! Of course, that’s just because I don’t live in Australia. If I did, I’m sure I would be quite used to it.
Come to think of it though, my boyfriend was less sympathetic and was more concerned about what any impact would do to his car!
Liv recently posted..California Road Trip
My uncle said he was glad it was just a little brown kangaroo and not a Big Red. Because hitting one of those big guys would have done LOTS of damage to the car. The little one only left a dent.
Amanda, I was really hoping to see a winged kangaroo when I read the headline. Still a great story though!
Phil recently posted..A Guide to Music in West Africa- Mali Part I
Yes, I was hoping to trick people into reading because of the title! Haha. Clearly, it’s working! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Did you know it’s illegal to stop? You’re just supposed to hit them! It broke my heart knowing that when we were driving around the Outback.
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It’s illegal to stop? That’s horrible! Poor little ‘roos.
Haven’t hit one yet *fingers crossed*! But, it is very much so like hitting deer. Whenever I’m on a road trip, the person not driving is on roo duty.
Roo duty… Haha, I like that! It’s just very strange to me to think of seeing dead kangaroos on the side of the road. But, I imagine to some Aussies, it’s probably weird to think of deer as roadkill!
did you read my post on this topic also?? Hit a BIG one in the middle of the country. http://www.goseewrite.com/2009/12/travel-tip-rental-car-insurance-in-oz/
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Yikes! That’s crazy. Good thing you bought that insurance! And, from what you said in your post, maybe kangaroos are even MORE of a driving danger in OZ than deer are in the U.S. Wild.
It makes you feel sooooo awful and knowing there is nothing you can do about it doesn’t make you feel any better
Still, pleased to hear in your case no one/nor kanga was hurt
Linda ~ Journey Jottings recently posted..Food- Glorious Food Part 2
Yep, it’s definitely not a good feeling! But I’m glad the little guy we hit seemed to be alright. That would have definitely been a downer to the trip…
On my side of the world there are no big animals walking – or hopping – on the roads… I guess the biggest is a chicken…
It’s still sad when they get hit though.
Nicolas De Corte recently posted..New travel article- Lanzarote for Independent Travelers
At least they can’t total your car, though!
At least I know now that kangaroos will kamikaze your car like the deer do here!
Erica recently posted..Music to Inspire the Waiting Traveler
Haha, totally! You have to watch out, because they’re sneaky. Which you wouldn’t expect, since they’re these big hopping things. But they cause a lot of damage.
Yikes! I was so worried about this when we were driving through the outback in Australia. Luckily, we didn’t hit any kangaroos. Apparently, you’re not supposed to drive at night because they are attracted to the lights…I did EAT a kangaroo in Alice Springs…
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Attracted to lights? Hmm. Interesting. Did kangaroo taste good? I never did get to try it myself.
Wow what a story. Deer hits can be bad with the antlers, not sure what the dangerous parts of the kangaroos are.
Andrew recently posted..6 month Course on Laundry for Beginners
I have a feeling it’s just their sheer bulk that causes a lot of damage.
When I was driving in W-Australia I only saw lots and lots of dead kangaroos along the road. The whole day we where wondering if we would actually see a living one, and when we did we almost killed it! By that time it was already dark and it just came out of no where, but luckly for him he moved off the road on time
He got to live another day.
Tijmen recently posted..The Azores Islands
Lucky for him, and for your car! It seems like lots of people have stories of near misses and not-so-near misses when it comes to kangaroos in Australia.
They really are unpredictable, and that is when you manage to see them before they run into you. Emu’s are even worse; they will get in front of the vehicle and run across your path. I have driven in some parts of WA where you can’t even go above 60km/h because of the number of roos on the road.
Great blog btw
Aaron
Aaron Schubert recently posted..Western Australian Kangaroo
I think I would pee my pants if an emu ran in front of my car at night! Crazy stuff. I guess I should be glad we only have to worry about deer and the odd possum here in the US.
And thanks for the compliment on my blog! Glad you like it.
When I was young my parents hit a kangaroo driving home one night after dropping us off at our grandparents’ house. I know the car was totalled (we got a new one – hooray, no more big yellow Kingswood!). I can’t recall what happened to the kangaroo. Which means my parents didn’t tell us. Which doesn’t equal good news
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Aww, that’s sad.
For some reason I get more sad thinking about a dead kangaroo than a dead deer. I guess I’m just so used to dead deer.
Wow… the kangaroo can hop away still? Thank goodness… I hope it didn’t traumatized Hannah…
We were driving too in Australia, but seemed like not as bad since we were along the east coast states only.
Dina recently posted..Best of Australia by Travelers Around the World
Well, the kangaroo hopped away for sure. Whether it lived much longer beyond that, who knows! I like to think it survived, though.
And you’re lucky you didn’t have any (literal) run-ins with ‘roos during your time in Australia!
Actually, just because it hopped off doesn’t mean it’s fine lol. My best friend hit a Rotweiler with his Jeep Cherokee and it ran off and leaked guts out the whole time it was running, and then it died. That kangaroo could have had a hemorrhage and died in the wilderness hours later. Hate to burst your bubble haha
Shhhh. I want to believe that because it hopped off, it survived. Leave my bubble alone! Lol.
I would much rather see dead kangaroos than people to be honest but it is very sad. My my boyfriend said yet have to speed up not slow down so that it doesdmt make it in the car and kill you
You are lucky you didn’t meet the kamikaze emu. They will literally race along next to your car and then try and cross in front of you. I knew a guy who used to try and beat them, totalled five cars I believe!! Kangaroos are more a problem at night than during the day (emus are daytime suicide junkies) and most of the roadkill is from road trains hitting them. But once I had a huge red kangaroo jump over the roof of my car, missing me and the driver’s window by mere inches, scary!!
My worst experience was hitting a wedge tail eagle that took off from the side of the road as I went past. It had been eating roadkill and just didn’t get the height it needed. Cracked the windscreen and smashed the side mirror and left me feeling very nauseous for days. I still feel bad about that and it was over 5 years ago…
Yikes, sounds like you’ve had some scary run-ins with Australian wildlife! I would freak out if a kangaroo jumped over my car…. wow! And I’ll have to remember to beware the kamikaze emus next times…
I swear the wildlife in Australia are attracted to roads. Nearly every day i see a multiple dead roo’s on the side of the roads. I live in the hinterland and im surprised i haven’t ran one over yet. I’ve had many close calls however the only thing ive ever hit over was a beautiful black swan at 5am in the morning, ive never felt so bad in my life. I agree with Aaron Schubert , this is a great blog.
First of all, thanks for the compliment, Scotty! I appreciate it.
And I think wildlife seem to be attracted to roads no matter where you go! I see dead deer along roads in Ohio every single day.
Hit one at 4am this morning between Toowoomba and Brisbane. It was about 6 ft tall and took out the front of the car. We reckon the damage bill will be somewhere between $500 and $1000. It came out of nowhere and gave me and Greg (the driver) a terrible shock. From the way the roo hit and the crunch it caused I think it was dead. I an hoping it didn’t suffer.
How scary! I hope you two at least are okay.