0:00:02 > 0:00:03COME ON!
0:00:05 > 0:00:09Deep in the heart of central Australia lives
0:00:09 > 0:00:11a family like no other.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15This is Brolga,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19a man who has sacrificed everything to give orphaned kangaroos
0:00:19 > 0:00:22a second chance at life.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Some people, they think that's a bit strange,
0:00:24 > 0:00:27a bloke being a mum to an orphaned kangaroo.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31But I do it because I see what other people don't see.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35I see that little joey call out for help.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38From his tin shack hidden in the bush,
0:00:38 > 0:00:43Brolga raises his babies until they're ready to be released.
0:00:43 > 0:00:48And, as with any family, each new day brings fresh challenges.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Tonight, Roger's feeling cagey.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59Don't like having to lock Roger away, but it's a bit of a necessity.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Rex and Ruby learn about mob politics.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Are they going to be accepted,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08or are they going to get a slap in the face,
0:01:08 > 0:01:10and say, "Hey, learn your place!"
0:01:10 > 0:01:14And wild child Rocky is finally set free.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20This is your country. Do us proud. Best of luck to you, my little mate.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Welcome to the world of Kangaroo Dundee.
0:01:34 > 0:01:39It's morning in the outback and for Kangaroo Mum Brolga,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41it's not just the start of a new day.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44It's the start of a new life.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52After four years living in a tin shack
0:01:52 > 0:01:55without running water or electricity,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Brolga is moving into a house with his girlfriend, Tahnee.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Hello? Morning!
0:02:13 > 0:02:15- Ah, you're here.- Hey, hello.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25- Come in.- Thank you. It's great to be here. So looking forward to this.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30Wow, this is fantastic.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40Moving into a warm, dry house is a big change, and not just for Brolga.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52Rex, Ruby and newest arrival Bluey are keen to explore...
0:02:57 > 0:03:00...at least, until it's time for dinner.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10It's beautiful to be next to the fire.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Nothing like having a fire, to hear it crackle, and you can take
0:03:13 > 0:03:17the man out of the bush, but you can't take the bush out of the man.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20It's going to be great, isn't it?
0:03:20 > 0:03:22I'm really glad you're here.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Thanks, it's like a dream.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28And to be sharing it with you, too.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33I can think of no other person I'd like to be with.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Someone who loves the joeys as much as I do.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Maybe I love the joeys more than you!
0:03:38 > 0:03:43- No, they're gorgeous. Little Rexy's just gorgeous.- Yes, he is.
0:03:43 > 0:03:44You're doing very well too.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48- Yeah...is that the right way? - Yep, that's the right way.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Hey, going down for a hop?
0:03:54 > 0:03:57It's the end of a big day.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03And although Brolga's home life may have changed,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07he has no intention of giving up his work at the sanctuary.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11So, life goes on as normal for his family of roos.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Brolga's new house is only half a mile away,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32so it's a short walk back to work.
0:04:32 > 0:04:38Today marks a big step forward in Rex, Ruby and Bluey's training.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41To start getting them ready for release,
0:04:41 > 0:04:46Brolga's taking them for a hop in the sanctuary.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Sometimes it can be too much routine in a back yard.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53They know where everything is, everything's flat.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56They've jumped over anything that they've had to jump over before.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Taking them out where there's a termite mound
0:04:59 > 0:05:01hidden in the grass, or a log,
0:05:01 > 0:05:05things they're going to have to adjust to and that are unexpected,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09that's the beauty of taking the joeys out into the bush now.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45This is all a part of leading them towards independence.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49It's their first taste of it.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54It's training them for when the big day comes later on when I'm going to
0:05:54 > 0:05:58put them out into the sanctuary so they can be part of the mob.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Rex, Ruby and Bluey are coping well.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09So, Brolga decides to up the pace.
0:06:12 > 0:06:13Come on!
0:06:13 > 0:06:16The joeys take to their new-found freedom in different ways.
0:06:19 > 0:06:20Come on!
0:06:20 > 0:06:24You can really see the characters coming out in the three joeys.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Little Ruby is right behind.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33She doesn't miss a trick.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36If I decide to run off, sort of change direction,
0:06:36 > 0:06:37she'll always be there.
0:06:44 > 0:06:45Come on!
0:06:46 > 0:06:51Little Bluey, he's generally next. He's half into it.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53Come on!
0:06:55 > 0:06:59He tries to keep up but things often distract him.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01BIRDS CAW
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Come on!
0:07:03 > 0:07:08He'll see a spider or a beetle, and he just totally loses it!
0:07:08 > 0:07:13And then there's Rex. He's often down the back.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18Rex is a bit slow. He's, er... He's not switched on half the time.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27Come on! Keep up! Come on!
0:07:27 > 0:07:29I love going out there,
0:07:29 > 0:07:35running through the bush with the joeys following me. What a thrill!
0:07:57 > 0:08:00There are no short cuts when raising the orphans.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05It takes time, and daily dedication.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09From teaching them to run, to preparing their milk.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12You can't afford any lumps in the milk, in case
0:08:12 > 0:08:14they choke on it when they're drinking.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22As the weeks pass, the young roos grow, moving towards the day
0:08:22 > 0:08:26when they'll leave their life with Brolga and Tahnee behind.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32And it's not just the joeys who are adjusting
0:08:32 > 0:08:34to new ways of doing things.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Oh, wow, what a relief.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43You turn it on and it does it itself.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45No more doing it out of a bucket.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Life is moving on for Brolga and his family.
0:08:52 > 0:08:53Come on!
0:09:01 > 0:09:04It's five weeks later, and Rex, Ruby
0:09:04 > 0:09:10and Bluey are on the way to becoming fully grown kangaroos.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Their coats are thicker, they've gained knowledge of the bush
0:09:14 > 0:09:16and all three have become more confident.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23But before they can be released into the sanctuary,
0:09:23 > 0:09:28there's one hurdle left to overcome, and it's the biggest yet.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31It's time to meet the mob.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36Hello.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42It's all right, it's all right.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44This short trial run will be the first time
0:09:44 > 0:09:48the joeys have moved freely amongst older kangaroos
0:09:48 > 0:09:51and it's nerve-racking for everyone.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56When I let the orphans out into the bush like this,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58I'm always on the edge of my seat.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04They sort of look at the bigger kangaroos to say,
0:10:04 > 0:10:05"Is that what I am?"
0:10:14 > 0:10:17And they'll go up to the older kangaroos saying,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19"Hey, let's be friends."
0:10:19 > 0:10:23And like smelling the older ones, and the older ones smelling them.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26What's going to happen?
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Is that joey going to be accepted,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32or are they going to get a slap in the face
0:10:32 > 0:10:34and say, "Hey, learn your place!"
0:10:54 > 0:10:56They're going to learn that there's a pecking order out here.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01They are the smallest, and they are at the bottom of the pecking order.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07It's a steep learning curve for the joeys,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10but after a while they begin to find their place in the group.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19It gives me a lot of enjoyment to see the joeys becoming kangaroos.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30The difficult first meeting with the mob has gone well.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37So, while the joeys have a well-earned rest,
0:11:37 > 0:11:38Brolga heads out to see Ella.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45She's had a new pinky in her pouch for three months
0:11:45 > 0:11:48and Brolga wants to check on the progress of mother and baby.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02It's heart-warming to look into Ella's pouch
0:12:02 > 0:12:06and see this little bloke, see him developing.
0:12:08 > 0:12:14In the next month or so, this baby's eyes will open for the first time.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20It'll look out of the pouch and it will see other members
0:12:20 > 0:12:24of the mob and the other members of the mob will see it
0:12:24 > 0:12:28and hopefully, they'll welcome it, as they've welcomed Ella's other babies.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35This is the start of new life.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38It is the future.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42It's the future for my sanctuary.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51And the future of the sanctuary is never far from Brolga's thoughts.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58He wants to make sure that what he's built here will last
0:12:58 > 0:13:02and thinks he's found the answer
0:13:02 > 0:13:03running tours for paying guests.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10To open up the sanctuary to visitors is a great way
0:13:10 > 0:13:14of getting revenue, and getting it in a fun way,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17and it's the only way to make the sanctuary sustainable.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24People have always visited, keen to see the kangaroos,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27but now Brolga wants to increase the numbers
0:13:27 > 0:13:31and turn the sanctuary into a must-see destination.
0:13:32 > 0:13:37So, he's teamed up with Australia's original kangaroo experts.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46I set up the Kangaroo Sanctuary up with this in mind,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50that one day, I'd be able to employ my Aboriginal friends.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Brolga's known these women for years,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57and wants to involve them in his guided tours.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02These Aboriginal ladies have grown-up in nature.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06They were born in the nature, they live their life by the nature,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10they take me out bush and teach me some of the old ways.
0:14:13 > 0:14:14Wow! That is amazing.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19So, I'm hoping when the tourists come along,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22that they will explain how they live traditionally
0:14:22 > 0:14:26and how they see the kangaroo as an important animal to them.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43It's the big day, but before the visitors arrive for their tour,
0:14:43 > 0:14:45there's one last job to do.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53Brolga must round up and lock down mob boss Roger.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09Roger and visitors don't mix.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Roger will attack any man he sees.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20So, basically I've got trap him in the enclosure,
0:15:20 > 0:15:24and the best way to lure him back is to get bait...
0:15:24 > 0:15:30and the best bait to get Roger... back to his enclosure...is me.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Not far away from getting Roger back home. I'm exhausted!
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Come on, old mate! Whoa, whoa, whoa!
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Here we are. Here we are.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42With Roger safely locked away, it's time for the tour.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50- G'day, mate, how are you? - Pleased to meet ya.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54If today goes well, Brolga hopes that the word will spread
0:16:54 > 0:16:56and he'll attract more visitors.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Hello.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Well, welcome to the Kangaroo Sanctuary.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06I built it as a refuge for kangaroos.
0:17:06 > 0:17:12And like some others here, some of them have a joey in the pouch.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14- How far away?- A week away.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16One week, wow.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19- Yeah, I'll become a mum like you! - ALL LAUGH
0:17:21 > 0:17:25Yeah, well, I'm up around the 200 mark. I've had 200 kids so far.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29I might forget that and just have one!
0:17:29 > 0:17:34First, Brolga introduces the visitors to his friend Pamela.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37The kangaroo, what do you call him?
0:17:37 > 0:17:41We call it "Malu", and "Wawarri".
0:17:41 > 0:17:43- Warraway?- Wawarri.- Wawarri.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50Kangaroos have always played a key part in Aboriginal culture.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Traditionally, they're hunted as food,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57but are important in other ways too.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01The kangaroo is an animal you can follow, and he leads you to water?
0:18:01 > 0:18:06Yeah, we see the kangaroo tracks going up,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10we know there's water somewhere, on top of the hill.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14- Why otherwise would the kangaroo climb?- Mm-hm.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Kangaroos are so important to Aborigines,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20they're even depicted in art.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23- So, I can see human footprints here. - Yeah.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27And then this other one is also recognisable to me.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29- Kangaroo.- Kangaroo.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37When the day has cooled, it's time for the main attraction,
0:18:37 > 0:18:39the roos themselves.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41If you just come through this way.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44The sanctuary is just open country, all right?
0:18:44 > 0:18:47It's an open savanna,
0:18:47 > 0:18:52an acacia woodland, and it's perfect habitat for red kangaroos.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01It's at this time the red kangaroo starts to wake up.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22The visitors are entranced by the mob
0:19:22 > 0:19:24and the open day is a success.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33Brolga's one step closer to securing a future for the sanctuary,
0:19:33 > 0:19:38so he can keep on helping orphaned kangaroos
0:19:38 > 0:19:40and the occasional wallaby.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48After three months of rehabilitation in his mini mountain range,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51one of Brolga's trickier residents is going home.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Today is a day I've been waiting for many months,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04and I feel Rocky is ready.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07It's time to catch him, to take him back to the mountains.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17With a piece of string attached to the door of this pet carrier
0:20:17 > 0:20:21I'm going to try and entice Rocky into the cage
0:20:21 > 0:20:25with some apple and sweet potato - his favourite.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32Brolga's trained Rocky to keep away from humans.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37It'll keep him safe in the wild, but makes trapping him a tall order.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Slowly, slowly.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Here we go.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Oh, God, his tail's sticking out.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Just slowly pull it.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Yes! Yes!
0:22:00 > 0:22:04Brolga's taking Rocky ten miles out to the MacDonnell Ranges,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07where colonies of black-footed rock wallabies
0:22:07 > 0:22:09live freely up in the hills.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18It's a great feeling to be able to bring Rocky back to the wild.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27Unfortunately, I can't converse with Rocky and tell him everything
0:22:27 > 0:22:31there's going to be to look forward to, but this is Rocky's home,
0:22:31 > 0:22:32this is where he belongs,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34this is where he should have been from the start.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42It's his time to be free.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45It's extremely happy, and the more I talk about it,
0:22:45 > 0:22:46I feel a little bit sad, too.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13He'll probably come out, be a bit bewildered by all the space.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15He's never been away from walls or wire.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21And then I hope he'll get over that
0:23:21 > 0:23:24and run up into the hills where he belongs.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Here we go.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41There you go, mate, this beautiful country, this is your new home.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Best of luck to you.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57This is your country. Do us proud.
0:23:57 > 0:23:58Go out and get a girl or two,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01and long live the black-footed rock wallaby.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09Last little glimpse and he's gone.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Well, that's another chapter closed in my life.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Good chapter it was, too.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35Brolga's orphans come and go.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39Some, like Rocky, keep their distance,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41but others truly become his family.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Rex, Ruby and more recently, Bluey,
0:24:48 > 0:24:53have shared their lives with Brolga for months.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54Learning to walk...
0:24:56 > 0:24:57..first hops...
0:25:00 > 0:25:02..pouch practice...
0:25:04 > 0:25:06..and running in the bush.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12The joeys and Brolga have had an amazing journey together.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17But he knows, now is their time to join the mob.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Having to let go of your children
0:25:29 > 0:25:32when they're ready is better for them.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35You want them to have their independence.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Your own feelings must be put aside.
0:25:45 > 0:25:46Unceremoniously...!
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Their training has been a success
0:25:50 > 0:25:54and the joeys are now being accepted by the older kangaroos.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59What I've been seeing now is that they actually know that
0:25:59 > 0:26:02there's a pecking order.
0:26:02 > 0:26:08The joeys are a bit conservative as far as approaching other kangaroos,
0:26:08 > 0:26:12they're not just running in there, thinking we're all best mates.
0:26:12 > 0:26:13They're ready.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20I look at little Ruby, and she's cute as a button.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23And I hope in the next few years,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26she's going to grow into as good a mum as Ella.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34And little Rex and Bluey, hopefully will be boxing buddies,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36do what boy kangaroos do
0:26:36 > 0:26:39and get the enjoyment of doing what boy kangaroos do.
0:26:41 > 0:26:47I hope they find relationships, they find love and happiness.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55I'm going to see Rex, Ruby and Bluey every day
0:26:55 > 0:26:59but I won't have that close contact that you do with little babies
0:26:59 > 0:27:03that look up into your eyes and you can see their love
0:27:03 > 0:27:07they have for you as their mum, so I'm going to miss that.
0:27:16 > 0:27:22Rex, Ruby and Bluey are starting a great new adventure with the mob.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30And Brolga's moving forward in his life, too.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Some things, though, will never change -
0:27:33 > 0:27:37like orphaned joeys needing Brolga's help,
0:27:37 > 0:27:41and his love for these extraordinary creatures.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46Being able to be a foster mum to little orphan kangaroos
0:27:46 > 0:27:50gives me a hell of a lot of satisfaction.
0:27:50 > 0:27:56I can see myself, 50 years from now, still doing this.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59I don't want to do anything else.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03What I DO want to do is inspire other people to get up
0:28:03 > 0:28:08out of the lounge chair and get out there and help wildlife.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13If I can inspire people to do that, and keep on doing it,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16there's nothing more I want to do with my life.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18This is...this is as good as it gets.