WHY YOU CANNOT MISS THE KANGAROO SANCTUARY IN ALICE SPRINGS (OUR FULL REVIEW)

During our 2 months backpacking Australia, to this day one of the most stand out experiences we did was visiting The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs, which you may recognise from the BBC’s famed “Kangaroo Dundee” TV docuseries.

For us, wildlife experiences have to be ethical, and the Kangaroo Sanctuary embodies this to a T. This genuine and authentic sanctuary certainly lives up to its mission statement “Where animals come first” – because believe us, they sure do!

If you are thinking of visiting The Kangaroo Sanctuary on one of their guided sunset walk tours (psst, do it!) or simply intrigued to find out more about it, keep reading below.

Pictured: A resident mother and baby kangaroo that we saw on our guided sunset walk around the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs. Photograph taken by Jordie during our Australia backpacking trip. — Pictured: A resident mother and baby kangaroo that we saw on our guided sunset walk around the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs. Photograph taken by Jordie.

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Alice Lodge Backpackers (for a cheap & cheerful hostel)
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WHAT TO EXPECT ON A GUIDED SUNSET TOUR

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION BY BROLGA

Let us briefly introduce you to the face and owner of The Kangaroo Sanctuary, Chris Barnes. He is usually endearingly known as “Brolga”, due to his height resemblance to a tall, Australian bird species of the same name!

Before we arrived, we had no idea that it was in fact Chris that personally shows you around The Kangaroo Sanctuary of all the guided sunset tours, which made the experience all the more authentic and for us, special.

Not only was it an honour for us to meet him in person, but just enlightening to hear first-hand the stories of sheer dedication to make the sanctuary what it is today, plus many priceless stories of day to day life at the sanctuary!

At the start of every guided sunset tour, Chris kindly introduces himself and the sanctuary to the group. Usually, he will also be accompanied by a few of the orphaned joeys currently in their care, as a chance to give these adorable babies some fresh air!

What we loved is that each orphaned joey is assigned a “best friend”, who they’ll keep together throughout their life.

Pictured: Chris "Brolga" Barnes holding one of his orphaned baby joey kangaroos on our guided sunset walk around the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs. Photograph taken by Jordie during our Australia backpacking trip. — Pictured: Chris “Brolga” Barnes holding one of his orphaned baby joeys on our guided sunset walk around the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs. Photograph taken by Jordie.

Pictured: Chris "Brolga" Barnes holding two of his orphaned baby joey kangaroos on our guided sunset walk around the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs. Photograph taken by Jordie during our Australia backpacking trip. — Pictured: The two baby joeys who joined us on our guided sunset walk around the sanctuary – called Chester and Foxy Flash!

WANDER THE SANCTUARY GROUNDS

After the introduction, you head into The Kangaroo Sanctuary grounds, slowly following Chris along the well carved pathways. We found the entire experience so intimate and calming. There was no element of rush, and it felt like you were being walked round by a good friend.

On route, watch as the resident kangaroos (approx. 350 in any given year) merrily hop over to Chris to say hello, and for a horse-food treat. The select few youngsters are instead treated to a solution of diluted kangaroo milk treat.

During our guided sunset walk, there was a particular moment that has always stayed with me. A kangaroo called ‘Abigail’ came straight over to Chris and lovingly cuddle his leg. It was so heartwarming to see, and we knew that if that didn’t solidify just how well the kangaroos are looked after here, nothing would!

Pictured: Chris "Brolga" Barnes cuddling one of the resident kangaroos, Abigail, whilst on a guided sunset tour around the wonderful Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs. Photograph taken by Jordie. — Pictured: Chris “Brolga” Barnes cuddling one of the resident kangaroos, Abigail. If that look of love doesn’t tell you how well the kangaroos are treated here, I don’t know what else will!

Don’t miss exploring Australia’s Outback! Check out these top 3 to 4 day Uluru tours from Alice Springs.

The sanctuary grounds occupy a staggering 188 acres in total on land that Chris leases from Alice Springs airport.

While subtle pathways have been cleared in areas to allow for safe passage through the grounds, it has mainly been left wild to emulate their natural habitat. In all honestly, this plus its sheer vastness makes you completely forget that it is fenced in.

Pictured: The vast open spaces of the Kangaroo Sanctuary Alice Springs that we had the pleasure of seeing during our guided sunset walk tour. Photograph taken by Jordie during our Australia backpacking trip. — Pictured: The vast open spaces of the Kangaroo Sanctuary Alice Springs that we had the pleasure of seeing during our guided sunset walk tour. Photograph taken by Jordie.

Click to book a guided sunset tour of The Kangaroo Sanctuary! 🦘🌅🧡

LEARN ABOUT THE WORLD FAMOUS “ROGER”

Chris also shared comical anecdotes about the World famous “Roger”, who lived here until he sadly passed away in December 2018. His sheer size, unbelievably muscular form and ability to quite literally crush a steel bucket with his bare hands made him a recognisable force worldwide.

Pictured: Liam standing next to the remembrance shrine to Roger, one of the most famous kangaroos who lived at the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs and known worldwide. Photograph taken by Jordie. — Pictured: The commemoration statue of Roger, located in the sanctuary grounds. This statue is at 1:1 scale, showing just how HUGE Roger actually was. Just look at how much he would’ve towered over Liam! Photograph taken by Jordie.

Though Chris hand reared Roger from a small baby, he apparently ran for his life most days at the sanctuary, and even ended up in the hospital 3 times from run-ins with him!

They even cancelled guided sunset tours if they couldn’t get him into a contained area, as he was far too unpredictable to be around the public.

Despite this, you can tell this formidable force of nature was truly admired and adored by everyone at the sanctuary, and his presence is truly missed.

Pictured: Chris "Brolga" Barnes holding up the book about Roger, one of the most famous kangaroos to have lived at the Kangaroo Sanctuary due to his extreme size and strength! Photograph taken by Jordie. — Pictured: Chris “Brolga” Barnes holding up the book about Roger, one of the most famous kangaroos to have lived at the Kangaroo Sanctuary due to his extreme size and strength! Photograph taken by Jordie.

UNFORGETTABLE KANGAROO ENCOUNTERS

There is also the opportunity to have your own unforgettable encounter with the kangaroos during the tour. A few of the group will get the chance to personally feed them the diluted milk solution as you wander round, and the majority will get the chance to hold the baby joeys too!

During our visit, the baby joeys were an adorable pair called Chester and Foxy Flash!

Pictured: Jordie holding an orphaned baby joey called Foxy Flash on our Sunset Walk guided tour around The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs, one of the most ethical sanctuaries in all of Australia! Photograph taken by Liam. — Pictured: Jordie holding an orphaned baby joey called Foxy Flash on our Sunset Walk guided tour around The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs. Photograph taken by Liam.

HOW MUCH IS THE GUIDED SUNSET TOUR?

In 2024, the public guided sunset tours at The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs are $105 AUD per adult and $95 per child (7-17 years). For their own safety, public tours are unfortunately not available for children under 7.

2024 AVAILABILITY OF THE KANGAROO SANCTUARY GUIDED SUNSET TOURS

In 2024, public guided sunset tours around the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs are now available from the start of June to November. April to May is fully booked.

Likewise, guided sunset tours are unavailable between the 7th to 22nd September due to other commitments.

The Kangaroo Sanctuary is closed December to January, during the peak of Australia’s summer.

IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT THE TOUR

The guided sunset tours only run 3x a week, on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. This is super important to note when trying to align your travel itinerary with a visit to the sanctuary.
The tours mentioned above, that run 3x a week, are public tours, therefore you will be joined by a small group.
You cannot self-drive yourself to the Sanctuary on public tours, it is pick-up only from set points in Alice Springs. Refer to the bottom of this page for the set bus pick-up point and times. Be readily waiting at the start of the waiting time stated for the month you travel.

Pictured: Jordie holding an orphaned baby joey called Chester on our Sunset Walk guided tour around The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs, one of the most ethical sanctuaries in all of Australia! — Pictured: Jordie holding Chester, an orphaned baby joey during our Sunset Walk guided tour around The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs, one of Australia’s most ethical sanctuaries!

Click to book a guided sunset tour of The Kangaroo Sanctuary! 🦘🌅🧡

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THE SANCTUARY

If you aren’t physically visiting Alice Springs, but want to help contribute to the sanctuaries ongoing mission, there are multiple ways you can support them – even from afar!

The best way you can help the Kangaroo Sanctuary, and its on-site Kangaroo Hospital, is by donating directly to them by “Sponsoring a Roo”. You can do this by a one-off payment, or if you’d like, an on-going monthly donation.

Click here to see all your options.

Pictured: Chris "Brolga" Barnes and Jordie holding the two orphaned baby joeys Chester and Foxy Flash after one of his guided tours around the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs. Photograph taken by Liam. — Pictured: Chris “Brolga” Barnes and Jordie holding the two orphaned baby joeys Chester and Foxy Flash after one of his guided tours around the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs. Photograph taken by Liam.

CONCLUSION: OUR FINAL REVIEW OF THE KANGAROO SANCTUARY IN ALICE SPRINGS

To conclude, we would hand on heart say that The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs is one of the most ethical and genuine “sanctuaries” that we have ever visited, and unmissable for any animal lover visiting Alice Springs.

The infectious passion and love of his kangaroos from “Brolga” truly makes you go away feeling uplifted, a sense of faith in humanity and the want to help these animals further.

While most people venture to Alice Springs purely for the Outback, you absolutely must stay in Alice Springs just one more day to visit the Kangaroo Sanctuary before you leave!!

Just be sure it aligns with a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and that you definitely pre-book your visit way in advance to avoid disappointment!

A photo of Jordie, the author of this specific blog post and owner of the wesbite.

This blog post was written by Jordie Flain!

Founder of TheFlainsTravel.com

A travel-obsessed Sagittarius creating honest, easy-to-follow guides. Powered by tea, chocolate and a slightly concerning amount of tomato ketchup.

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