0:00:02 > 0:00:04HE CALLS
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Deep in the heart of central Australia
0:00:06 > 0:00:08lives a family like no other.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12This is Brolga.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17A man who has sacrificed everything
0:00:17 > 0:00:20to give orphaned kangaroos a second chance at life.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Some people, they think that's a bit strange,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26a bloke being a mum to an orphaned kangaroo.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30But I do it cos I see what other people don't see.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33I see that little joey call out for help.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37From his tin shack hidden in the bush,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Brolga raises his babies until they're ready to be released.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47And, just as with any family, each new day brings fresh challenges.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Mad as a cut snake, you are, mate!
0:00:50 > 0:00:54This time, Brolga's mob comes under attack.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Get away from my sanctuary. You're not welcome.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03We meet Stewie, a joey badly in need of a bath.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05We won't even recognise him in a couple of weeks
0:01:05 > 0:01:08when all his hair has grown back, will we?
0:01:08 > 0:01:12- Go away, go on.- And Brolga gives Rocky the brush-off.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16No more cuddles, mate. Come on. Back up.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Let's turn him into a wild little rock wallaby.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Welcome to the world of Kangaroo Dundee.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34It's winter at the kangaroo sanctuary
0:01:34 > 0:01:36and, with the nights getting colder,
0:01:36 > 0:01:40there are more animals than ever in Brolga's shack.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Not all are welcome.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51It's not just me and the joeys living in the shack, it's...
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Inside the walls of the shack are hundreds of mice.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59It's starting to get on top of us a fair bit.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02It's...it's just not...
0:02:03 > 0:02:05..easy to live here any more.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Brolga's living conditions are far from ideal...
0:02:11 > 0:02:15..but he's always poured every penny into the sanctuary.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Caring for kangaroos doesn't come cheap.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28So, from time to time, he takes on extra work in Alice Springs.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34It's not a glamorous job, but there are some perks.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37There's some good news.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Over the last couple of years,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46I've been cleaning buses in town during the day.
0:02:47 > 0:02:53And one of the girls in the office and I are good mates.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58I think there's going to be... I think there's more to it than that.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00There is more to it than that.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Hello. What are you guys doing, eh?
0:03:04 > 0:03:05Little Baba.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Office manager Tahnee has been looking after the joeys
0:03:09 > 0:03:12while Brolga's hard at work.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16You going to have a little sleep, eh? Here you go, Baba.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21She loves the babies and I'm teaching her how to look after them.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25- It's great to be able to share that with someone.- Yeah, yeah.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29Because they're going to need to have a run, plus mop up their wee.
0:03:29 > 0:03:30LAUGHTER
0:03:30 > 0:03:33- I'll call you when... - LAUGHTER
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Lots of cuddles. Lots of cuddles and love.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Lots of cuddles, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Brolga and his babies have proved to be an irresistible combination.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45'Tahnee and I are now dating.'
0:03:45 > 0:03:48So that's really good news for me and the joeys.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51That's it. Beautiful. Beautiful.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Tahnee's an exciting development in Brolga's life.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00But his work at the sanctuary still has to come first.
0:04:02 > 0:04:03Today, his priority
0:04:03 > 0:04:06is to start training a troublesome fellow called Rocky.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Brolga plans to release this rock wallaby to the wild,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19but first he has to teach him to keep his distance.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Rocky, off!
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Go on, get away. You're too close, mate.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33It's time for some tough love.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35Back away. You're too close.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37'Pushing away Rocky with a broom...'
0:04:37 > 0:04:42is just a way of creating space between me and him.
0:04:42 > 0:04:49Now's the time Rocky has got to, er...become independent.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51And he is not going to become independent
0:04:51 > 0:04:55if he keeps coming up to me when I come in his rehab enclosure,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58putting down a bit of food or cleaning out his water bowl.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03The broom treatment may look cruel,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05but it's an important part of Rocky's training.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08No more cuddles, mate. Come on, back up.
0:05:11 > 0:05:12'It's a lesson for him.'
0:05:12 > 0:05:16People are not good out there. You never... You can't trust anyone.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19If someone approaches or comes into his environment,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21I want him to run away.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24So by taking something like a household broom,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27which is nice and soft, but with a long pole
0:05:27 > 0:05:30and just nudge him away, just gently,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32and he gets the message.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34No more contact.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39Let's turn him into a wild little rock wallaby
0:05:39 > 0:05:42so he can survive with his cousins up in the mountains.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48It's a far cry from his previous home with Anne-Marie.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52With Rocky now relocated,
0:05:52 > 0:05:54she's managed to find some time for herself.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Anne-Marie has got her painted fingernails again.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Now I feel like me. Yeah.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09But, in a house overrun with orphans,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12it isn't long before Anne-Marie's back at work.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19Out in the yard, eight-month-old Stewie is unwell.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26He's been constantly scratching and has lost a lot of hair.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Anne-Marie has diagnosed a case of mites.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Hey, Stew. Come on, little man.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37The cure?
0:06:37 > 0:06:40A nice warm bath with a medicated shampoo.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44There's just one problem.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Bath time! Oh!
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Stewie's not too keen on bath time.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53Good boy. You're not happy, but it's all for your benefit.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Well, Stew picked up a mite
0:06:56 > 0:06:58and, of course, it's made him itchy
0:06:58 > 0:07:02and it's made his skin all funny and he's lost his hair.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05And he needs his hair to go out into the wild
0:07:05 > 0:07:07cos otherwise he'll get sunburnt
0:07:07 > 0:07:10and he'll dehydrate
0:07:10 > 0:07:15and, um...eventually deteriorate and he'll die.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21This shampoo that I'm using will help stop him from itching
0:07:21 > 0:07:27and will just keep him all nice and also moisturise his skin.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32Look at that. Oh, definitely looking better, aren't you?
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Come here, come here.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38He, um... You won't even recognise him in a couple of weeks
0:07:38 > 0:07:41when all his hair has grown back, will we? Eh?
0:07:42 > 0:07:46It's hard work wrangling reluctant kangaroos
0:07:46 > 0:07:50but, for Anne-Marie, the rewards make it all worthwhile.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55My kids have all grown up and left home
0:07:55 > 0:08:01and these kangaroos actually fill a void in my life at the moment.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05They're like having little babies, they're absolutely beautiful.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09They don't always do what you want them to do, but neither do children.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11But these, um...
0:08:11 > 0:08:16Yeah, they just make your life more fulfilled,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18especially when you've got a little fella
0:08:18 > 0:08:20going through this sort of trauma.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24He's going to be a big boy with lots of hair, aren't ya?
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Eh? Yeah.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29OK, mate, you're all dry
0:08:29 > 0:08:32and now you can go out with your brothers and your sisters.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35You're a motley little feller, aren't ya?
0:08:35 > 0:08:36OK, have some apple.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Back at Brolga's sanctuary, night has fallen,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46but things are far from quiet.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52He's heard feral dogs barking from the other side of the fence
0:08:52 > 0:08:55and is concerned for his mob of kangaroos.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01It's my worst nightmare.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06Feral dogs along the fence line, trying to chase the kangaroos.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11There's many feral dogs roaming the bush out here.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14People's pets that have now gone wild.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16They've got no fear of people,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18so they're actually a pretty dangerous dog.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23Feral dogs don't just pose a risk to people.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27Their presence can put the kangaroos' lives in danger.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Panicking kangaroos can go into a stampede
0:09:30 > 0:09:33and smash themselves up against a fence.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Last year, I lost a couple of kangaroos
0:09:35 > 0:09:37that killed themselves on the fence
0:09:37 > 0:09:39when dogs had been around that night.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44I've vowed I won't... I won't ever let it happen again.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47So by chasing the dogs in the car,
0:09:47 > 0:09:52that scares them away and hopefully the dogs then will move on.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55So I'm on my way up... There's one! There's one here!
0:09:55 > 0:09:57All right, I'm going to get right up his backside.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Get away from my sanctuary. You're not welcome.
0:10:04 > 0:10:09Brolga means the dogs no harm, but it's essential he warns them off.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12He's quick. Got part dingo in him, this one.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Yeah, he's gone.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23He's done all he can.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27For now, he just has to hope that the dogs have moved on
0:10:27 > 0:10:29and the danger has passed.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42It's dawn the next day
0:10:42 > 0:10:46and Brolga's keener than ever to check on his mob of 28 kangaroos.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Always in the morning after dogs have been running up and down
0:10:50 > 0:10:52the fence line the night before,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54I come out to the sanctuary.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58I like to check up on all the kangaroos,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00try and see as many as I can.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Have a look at them, a close look.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15So far this morning, I haven't found any casualties.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18But it's worth to keep on looking.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29While searching the sanctuary, Brolga comes across Ella,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32one of the kangaroos who's been with him the longest.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37He's keen to check that she
0:11:37 > 0:11:40and the baby growing in her pouch are unharmed.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46It's about two months since I last looked into Ella's pouch
0:11:46 > 0:11:48and the baby has gone from a little pinkie,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51like a jellybean-sized baby,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54through to something now the size of a small rat.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57It's extremely rewarding
0:11:57 > 0:12:00for me to look into Ella's pouch like this.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05I raised Ella as a baby when she was an orphan.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10When she first came to me, nearly eight years ago now,
0:12:10 > 0:12:11she was on death's door.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Her little head kept on flopping, she couldn't lift it up.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17I didn't think she would last five minutes.
0:12:17 > 0:12:22I just held Ella close to my belly.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25I didn't want her to be alone.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28I thought she was going to die.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35Here she is today, as a mother to her own baby.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37And she's a really good mother, too.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42She is the matriarch of the mob
0:12:42 > 0:12:48and she's allowing me to look into her pouch and see her baby.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02After leaving Ella, Brolga makes a worrying discovery.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09A young joey appears to be lost and is in distress.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17The joey is being guarded by Roger, the mob boss.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27This is something I haven't seen before.
0:13:27 > 0:13:32Roger in charge of a little joey. Um...
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Where's the mother for this joey?
0:13:35 > 0:13:40Roger should not be in charge or guarding the baby.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46Mum should be close by and I just can't work it out.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52It's not normal behaviour for a little baby kangaroo
0:13:52 > 0:13:55to be in the care of the alpha male.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06I can't see the joey's mum anywhere.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15She might be herself injured up against the fence line, or...
0:14:15 > 0:14:18To be without her baby is really strange.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22While some of Brolga's mob, like Ella,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24are happy to let him get up close,
0:14:24 > 0:14:28others are almost wild and keep their distance.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Brolga assumes that this joey
0:14:32 > 0:14:35belongs to one of the females he rarely sees.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Possibly what might have happened is
0:14:39 > 0:14:44last night, dogs running up and down the fence line scaring the kangaroos,
0:14:44 > 0:14:49one of the kangaroo mums out here has dropped her baby
0:14:49 > 0:14:51and she probably might have intentionally done that.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55That's a kangaroo behaviour that when they feel threatened,
0:14:55 > 0:15:00often when they're getting hunted by a dingo or a pack of dogs,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03they've been seen to drop the baby on the ground and run off.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10After an hour of watching on,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13there's still no sign of the joey's mother.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21With night-time temperatures dropping to near freezing,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Brolga must try to reunite them before sunset
0:15:24 > 0:15:27and get the joey back into the warmth of mum's pouch.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46HE CALLS
0:15:48 > 0:15:50HE CALLS
0:15:56 > 0:15:58After hours of searching,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Brolga finally comes across a female on her own.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06He watches her reaction to the joey carefully.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09That's not your mum, is it?
0:16:11 > 0:16:12She doesn't care, does she?
0:16:16 > 0:16:18No, she's knocking you away.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22She's not showing any interest in you, mate.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32Come on, we'll go try somewhere else.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38With 90 acres of sanctuary to cover and night approaching fast,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41the odds of finding the female are slim.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44But Brolga's not giving up hope.
0:16:50 > 0:16:51No.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54She's not your mum either, mate.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Getting too cold. I think I've got to take you in.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01You can spend the night with me.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11If left to face the night alone,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14it's almost certain the joey would not survive.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22Brolga knows that he must be hungry, so the priority now is milk.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28Just like mum's nipple.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31That's it.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39Taking to this like a duck to water, eh?
0:17:41 > 0:17:43Much better than what I thought you'd be.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Had enough. Hm?
0:17:59 > 0:18:01He still appears to be quite stressed
0:18:01 > 0:18:04and I can really see the sadness in his eyes.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06He's...he's not moving a lot.
0:18:07 > 0:18:08He's not struggling.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11You'd think he'd be trying to struggle to get away from me.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Hm?
0:18:14 > 0:18:17So hopefully he can overcome that sadness
0:18:17 > 0:18:20and I'll take him into bed tonight. That'll help him.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24Keep warm with me and keep him on my belly in a little pouch.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30And breathing in the warmth of my body should settle him right down.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36And we'll go looking for your mum tomorrow, eh?
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Eh? Hopefully we'll be more successful tomorrow.
0:18:45 > 0:18:46Go to sleep.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04It's been a long night, but Brolga's certain
0:19:04 > 0:19:06it was the right decision to take the joey inside.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11It was a freezing night last night.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15Really cold and...
0:19:15 > 0:19:18I didn't get a lot of sleep. I've, er...
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Making sure I stayed lying on my back and not turn over, so...
0:19:24 > 0:19:26But it was well worth it,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30taking the little man to bed, keeping him nice and warm.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35He would have certainly perished last night if I didn't bring him inside.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45Out in the sanctuary, the search to find the joey's mum continues.
0:19:57 > 0:19:58No, mate.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03I really thought that kangaroo was his mum.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08Baby and mum recognise each other by smell.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12So I thought the best thing to do was to introduce the baby,
0:20:12 > 0:20:14let her smell the baby first
0:20:14 > 0:20:16and then put it on the ground and hopefully
0:20:16 > 0:20:18she'd accept it into her pouch.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20But...no, she slapped it.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Mum should be frantically looking for her baby,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29but I can't see a mother or a kangaroo
0:20:29 > 0:20:31that seems to have lost anything.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38I'm quite sure his mum, who's out here somewhere,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41has pretty much forgotten the whole thing.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43After two days of searching,
0:20:43 > 0:20:47there's still no sign of any females in distress.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Brolga's done all he can to reunite mother and baby,
0:20:51 > 0:20:52so he's made a decision.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57He's going to take the joey on full-time.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59It's just too big a place and...
0:21:00 > 0:21:03..I haven't seen any of the female kangaroos
0:21:03 > 0:21:06showing signs that they've lost a baby.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08I don't want to take any baby away from its mum,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11but the reality is, I can't find mum,
0:21:11 > 0:21:15so, er...I think it's best that I take the little bloke into my care
0:21:15 > 0:21:20and me, Rex and Ruby can take him on
0:21:20 > 0:21:23and we'll be that comfort and support
0:21:23 > 0:21:27that he's lost by losing his mum.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29You three have all got to snuggle in.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34The first hurdle is to see if his new orphan
0:21:34 > 0:21:36will bond with Rex and Ruby.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38You've got to keep this little guy warm.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Got you a little friend, a little brother.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46He's lost his mum just like you did before you came to me.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Hm? I want you two kids to look after him.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55- OK. - Brolga hopes that their company
0:21:55 > 0:21:58will help with the shock of losing his real mum.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11Over in Alice Springs, Stewie still can't resist a good old scratch.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18It's been ten days since his bath
0:22:18 > 0:22:21and Anne-Marie's starting to see a real improvement.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Oh, wow, Stew, look at you!
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Come here.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Oh, my goodness! You have come on so well!
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Aren't you looking fantastic!
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Look at you, you've got hair growing everywhere.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46He looks like the motliest kangaroo in the territory at the moment,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49but considering what he looked like ten days ago,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52um...he didn't have an ounce of hair on his head,
0:22:52 > 0:22:56or on his face, just around his eyebrows,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59but it all looks good, so... And it's growing!
0:22:59 > 0:23:03So that's a real... that's a real effort isn't it, eh?
0:23:03 > 0:23:07It's really special that you're growing your hair. Yes, it is.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10It's working, that's the most important thing.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13New hair here, um...
0:23:13 > 0:23:16he's got new hair coming up everywhere, haven't you, darling?
0:23:16 > 0:23:19Gets a bit itchy, but that's what it's all about.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22I mean, it's pretty normal, it's like when you shave your beard
0:23:22 > 0:23:23or you shave your legs
0:23:23 > 0:23:27and sometimes you'll get a few bits that are a bit itchier than others.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30I reckon if I looked like this, I'd probably scratch a bit, too!
0:23:32 > 0:23:34You'll be the handsomest kangaroo
0:23:34 > 0:23:37when all your hair grows back, won't you, darling?
0:23:37 > 0:23:40All right, bubba, you can go back with your mates now.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43There you go, darling. Good boy, Stewie.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Stewie's well on the road to recovery.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53And back at the sanctuary, things are looking up, too.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Brolga's latest orphan is settling in well
0:24:00 > 0:24:03and he's been given a name, Bluey.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07He's as cute as a button.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10He's one of those babies you get into your care
0:24:10 > 0:24:13that has just got these beautiful big black eyes
0:24:13 > 0:24:15and velvet red fur.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19To get Bluey back out to the sanctuary,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Brolga wants him to form a mini mob with Rex and Ruby
0:24:23 > 0:24:26so that the three of them can be released together.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30It's important for him to cling to Rex and Ruby,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32to look at them as like a mother figure,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35someone to follow, someone to give security.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38And that's the nature of a baby kangaroo,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40that it follows its mum everywhere.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45So to have Rex and Ruby to follow
0:24:45 > 0:24:49will give him that security and comfort that he's not alone.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59It's only a few days ago this little bloke's lost
0:24:59 > 0:25:01the only thing that he knows and loves in the world,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03which is his natural mother.
0:25:05 > 0:25:10And here he is, now, a few days later, settled in.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16He's taken to Rex and Ruby like they're his brothers and sisters.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20He looks up to me like I'm his mum.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Tut-tut-tut-tut. Hey. I know, I know.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28We're all going to make a great little mob, me and the three babies.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Oh, yeah, standing up like that.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Bluey may be adapting well
0:25:35 > 0:25:37but, with temperatures dropping,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40the challenge of living in a tin shack overrun with mice
0:25:40 > 0:25:43is getting harder by the day.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47There's nothing you can touch that hasn't had the mice running over it.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50I checked my boots in the morning and a couple of mice come out
0:25:50 > 0:25:52that have been housing in there during the night.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56A big snake's moved in, as well.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58He's somewhere hidden behind the walls.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00I just about trod on him about a month ago.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05A snake rearing up behind my back foot, hissing and about to strike.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09So basically, nature's moving in and taking over.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15With living conditions getting tougher,
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Brolga and his girlfriend, Tahnee, have made a big decision.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Tahnee and I, we're going to move out
0:26:21 > 0:26:23into a house just down the road.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26It's only a few hundred metres down the track.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28So I'm always close to the sanctuary.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I'm close enough that if I can see any smoke on the horizon,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33I'll be over here in 20 seconds.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Brolga wants to try out a more conventional life,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44but leaving the shack behind won't be easy.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46I love it here. I really do.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51Going outside at night-time, the beauty of the stars
0:26:51 > 0:26:53and the freedom of the bush.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59But living in a shack with no power
0:26:59 > 0:27:02and no toilet and a mice plague on the way...
0:27:04 > 0:27:07..ain't very inviting for a lady.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09It's not very inviting for me or the joeys.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14So I think...
0:27:14 > 0:27:16and I know...
0:27:16 > 0:27:18this is what's best for us all.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25And so, after four years living the life of a hermit,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27the promise of love and some home comforts
0:27:27 > 0:27:32is finally luring Brolga away from his trusty old friend, the shack.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38I'm looking forward to what lies ahead.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45It's the first time in years I'll be able to have a hot shower
0:27:45 > 0:27:48and be with someone I want to be with.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Next time on Kangaroo Dundee...
0:27:59 > 0:28:01..Brolga rounds up Roger.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Basically, I've got to trap him in the enclosure,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06and the best bait is me.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Come on! This way!
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Rex, Ruby and Bluey get their first taste of freedom.
0:28:13 > 0:28:18This all a part of leading them towards independence.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23And we find out what life is like living in the lap of luxury.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24It's like a dream.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26TAHNEE LAUGHS To be sharing it with you, too.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29- I'm really glad you're here. - Thanks.