Seeing kangaroos on the side of the road is a pretty common sight in Australia, particularly at dusk and dawn. After dark I’m always mindful of the need to drive slowly, especially in my area which is quite rural. Roos have zero road sense and an unpredictable tendency to hop out in front of drivers. My sister-in-law had her car written off after an incident with a roo and my own daughter, learning to drive, also had a close encounter with a big kangaroo that hit the bull bar of the Pajero she was in. He came off second best.
But the other night I couldn’t help but stop for a photo. There were literally hundreds of them, grazing on the hills. They’re a bit hard to make out against the setting sun on the hills but it was a spectacular sight. So many kangaroos, so much content.
They were clearly unperturbed by my presence. So many ordinary things we pass by and often miss on the road to where we’re going, especially if we rush and don’t look around.
This is in response to TraBlogger’s Mundane Monday Challenge #51
(even though it’s no longer Monday) … a challenge created to find beauty in almost everything. The challenge is simple : find beauty in everyday mundane things, capture the beauty and upload the photographs.
Where ever you’re traveling today, stay safe and may you keep your eyes open to the life and the beauty that surrounds you.
Just like our New Forest ponies
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I hope your New Forest ponies have better road sense.
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None at all. Signs along the verges proclaim: ‘Expect it to step out’ – and it will
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A great post! I love the way you see beauty in things 🙂
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Thank you!
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You’re welcome! 🙂
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That seems a big mob. Over 50 think?
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That we can see there. There were more on the surrounding hills.
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I love the roos. We see them along the Main Yarra trail on our bikes and there are some big mobs up Templestowe way. It amazes me how they live so close to teh suburbs sometimes. I was at the gym one morning and saw one hoping down the street in Rosanna and one heading for Burgundy street another morning. Obviuously they got a bit off the track!
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Yeah, they definitely have got closer and closer to suburbia. Really have to be on the lookout. We have them in our back paddock too, they often visit down by the creek. Sounds like we live fairly close to each other!
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Here, it’s deer that’ll pop out on you. And just like your Roos, they’re most active at dusk and dawn. Quite problematic for those of us who live rurally.
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Yeah, we really have to have eyes at the back of our head when we’re driving.
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I’m not sure about Roos, but the deer are mesmerized by headlights. The dang things just stand there! Not the sharpest tools in the shed, when it comes to avoiding cars.
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I think they’re all the same. The roos get dazed as well, and you never know which way they’re going to go.
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Wow! There are so many of them. We often have run ins with Springbok when we drive at night in the Free State. There are no roadlights on some rural roads and we’ve avoided more than our fair share of accidents. Thanks for sharing this beautiful picture and wonderful post. 🙂
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No worries Lindsay, take care on the roads out there!
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Thanks. You too. 🙂
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Wow! That’s a good sight to behold. I only see such animals when I go to the zoo. Nice post, Miriam.
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Thanks, yeah, no need to go to the zoo with the amount of wildlife we have around here!
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Now, I feel like relocating to your area. Have a lovely day, Miriam.
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Thanks. You too.
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I’ve only seen kangaroos in a zoo. What a treat to see your photo! Sorry about your daughter. Your Roos sound like white tail deer here trying to cross the roads.
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Hey Jessica, my daughter was ok, just a bit shaken up. And yes, those roos, much like your deer, have really no idea when crossing the roads.
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A good comparison here would be the deer population. Sadly, here in the US I see at least 10 or more deer dead on the road everyday.
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That’s a lot of road kill, much like our kangaroos. It’s sad to see but a reality unfortunately.
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In a way I’m glad it bothers me every time I see one. Beautiful animals. Such a waste.
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I agree with you, such a waste.
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They are so many. I am imagining the scene in day light…It could make an amazing wall paper.
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Yeah definitely Mann, although they tend to go into hiding a bit during the day.
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What an amazing sight !! You see beauty in everything….. 🙂 well written.
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Thanks so much!
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That’s fabulous – would love to see in real life 🙂
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I would love to see them in real life 🙂
I love you see beauty in every little thing, Miriam.
Hugs
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Thanks Monica. xo
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I can’t imagine being able to see Kangeroos on the side of the road! Must be so wonderful Miriam!
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It is, Nicole. So long as they stay on the side of the road and don’t jump out into the middle!
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I can’t imagine! The kangaroos must be like deer to me!
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I can’t imagine neither, do they munch on grass?
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They do, that’s pretty much all they do. What a life hey.
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a munchy-hoppy life 🙂
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Blogging and photography makes us so much more observant doesn’t it?
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It does indeed.
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I see cows on the side of the road. Kangeroos are so foreign and exotic to me, I’d love to see them! I guess it’s all what we get used to.
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So true. Over here they’re as common as cows, just not as useful!
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Wow, are these wild? So many of them!
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They most certainly are wild. And they were everywhere.
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Awesome sight.
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Yeah, it was pretty impressive seeing them all up on the hills.
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That is amazing! Wow The closest thing I can compare it to are he moose in Alaska. Growing up in New Hampshire, I’d seen the occasional moose, but in Alaska they walk right down the highway….into parking lots…across 6 lane roads. They just don’t care.
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Now that would be quite a sight.
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Not had an encounter with a roo, but echidna’s on the road in the dark, are not best friends with tyres, I have found.
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Ouch, not good. That would be a prickly mess.
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We have a very similar amount here too! I drove home very slowly the other night, as they were all along the road. Nice shot.
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Yes, even tonight, we’ve just got home, and they were out in force. I guess it’s just a matter of being aware.
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It’s so funny that kangaroos are mundane to you! My heart would stop if I saw one! Here, there are deer that love to jump out in front of cars, and further north, moose, which are huge and can kill a person if he or she is driving fast enough. I never hit a deer before, but I’ve had some encounters with them while walking or biking, and they always take my breath away. They are so graceful and beautiful… and just as easily startled by me as I am by them. They remind me of my delicate tension with creation and make me feel more alive. Thank you for the reminder.
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It’s not so much that they’re mundane, far from it actually, more that seeing them is a fairly common occurrence. But I have respect for them and feel much like you do with the deer, they’re amazing to watch, especially when they box with each other. It’s quite a sight!
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Gotta say I am a little envious. i have never been in the presence of a kangaroo. Now I could, share an image of a murder of crows as we have lots of these 🙂 Great shot, Miriam!
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Yeah, kangaroos are probably as common as crows over here, though I don’t know if they’re even half as intelligent.
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Well the crow is quite intelligent, that’s for sure!
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What a beautiful photo! The only kangaroos I’ve ever seen are in a zoo, and I had no idea they were so common in Australia that they are actually a driving hazard. We have that problem with deer here in the Midwest part of the United States. Like the kangaroos, they are prone to jump suddenly in front of a car, especially in the night.
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Yes they’re definitely a driving hazard Ann, especially at dawn and dusk. And mostly just in the rural areas, though they often manage to find their way into suburbia too.
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And never mess with an emu! Nice post we saw some huge Roos last week at Glenlyon we were guessing that the Bucks had to be 6 or 7 feet tall.
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Yeah, some of them are massive. And we’ve had encounters with emus too. Years ago at the Grampians two ran through our windscreen. The car was a mess and so were the emus who ran off undoubtedly with massive headaches.
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That’s so cool
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Thanks Tosha.
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You’re welcome.
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This is amazing!!!! I don’t know what I would think or do if I came across this sight haha 🙂
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Yeah it was pretty amazing which is why I had to stop.
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I heard from a friend of mine from Australia that a kangaroo hit their car! It must be pretty difficult to prepare for such things on the road. Nice sunset and there are a lot of kangaroos!!
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Yes, unfortunately it’s a pretty common hazard over here, especially at night.
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Reminds me of how deer can be around here. Amazing sights, those ‘roos and deer!
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They certainly are, these creatures of nature.
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I could never imagine seeing that many kangaroos and think it’s mundane! One person’s normal is someone else’s exotic…Thanks for sharing this, made me smile.
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Absolutely! I’m so glad you enjoyed, thanks for your great comment.
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