Red Letter Day

Now I am in Australia for real ! We travelled about 20 miles along the coast then went up to Arthur’s Seat ( I know !) in a gondola and then into a bush National Park for an Australian Barbie ! These BBQ machines are government owned and maintained and you just switch on and go ! Steven and Emily had got some kangaroo steaks to cook which was a new one on me ! The place was beautiful, green and lots of trees and a sea breeze, hence the name of the place which was Seawinds ! The kangaroo was just divine, rather like a very soft and tender beef steak, not too gamey but very savoury tasting, I loved it !

However almost at the moment of consuming the beautiful food a ‘mob’ of wild kangaroo hoved  into the distance and bounced across the grassland. I was slightly torn between loving eating the steaks and feeling guilty about chewing on a possible cousin. Steven did tell me that we were eating Western Red Kangaroo and watching Eastern Greys, so that was a bit of a relief !

How utterly amazing it was to watch, so closely, wild kangaroos, not in a zoo and living around our cooking area. As I said, now I am really in Australia. They were unafraid, and let us quietly get close. They were all females and one had a wriggling joey in her large sagging pouch, see the photo. All we wanted was for the baby to jump out of the pouch, but a tiny paw was hanging over the lip - what a wonderful experience for a tourist like me. 

Red letter day !

In the gondola

 

Looking back down the Eagle gondola ride

Setting up......

Delicious kangaroo steaks !

A small ‘mob’

Mum with pouch - how do they bounce with all that extra !

This is how close we were allowed to get......Amazing !