As the sun was setting, I saw them in the distance. A mother kangaroo with a joey in its pouch, followed by a smaller kangaroo. Kangaroos are marsupials, meaning the mothers carry the young around in built-in pouches. It is a rare sighting in the Wet Tropics as we mostly see the tree-kangaroo and even then, it tends to hide from human eyes.
 
Driving from Cairns towards the beaches, I regularly see wallabies in the grass near the highway, resting or looking for food. They are always in a group. Kangaroos are larger than wallabies and their larger legs seem out of proportion to their bodies. Their legs are built for speed whereas the wallaby’s legs are built for agility in forested areas. Kangaroos are usually brown or gray while wallabies have a more colourful coat. We are fortunate to have such diverse and special creatures on our land.
 
Height: 18cm
Width: 13cm