Kangaroo Dundee

by Chris Barns

Brolga (aka Chris Barns) is the 6ft 7in strong but sensitive Aussie star of the extraordinary BBC series Kangaroo Dundee. Brolga lives in a simple tin shed in the outback where he raises orphaned baby kangaroos. It is a sad fact of life that kangaroo mothers are at the mercy of speeding cars in this part of the world - killed on the road, their young still tucked up in their pouches. These young joeys holding on to life, have been given a second chance thanks to the kindness and dedication of Brolga, who carefully retrieves them and nurses them back to health. Brolga has been rescuing these special creatures for years, slowly and painstakingly creating a kangaroo sanctuary for the many kangaroos he has saved, reared and loved. He has dedicated his life to observing how kangaroo mums care for their babies and does everything he can to replicate this. The baby kangaroos, traumatised by losing their mother so early, are tucked up into pillow cases and kept warm and comforted next to Brolga at night. We see him getting up at 4am to bottle feed them, washing them in a little tub, taking them to the supermarket and generally mothering them with heart breaking tenderness. Charting Brolga's life with the joeys and honing in on his relationship with one or two in particular, Kangaroo Dundee tells the heart-warming, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant story of one man's unique relationship with a group of extraordinary animals.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 21, 2013

Reviews

[Kim Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched part of the Kangaroo Dundee series that was shown on PBS, and was intrigued by this handsome, rugged, Australian man with a heart of gold! He is SO tender and loving with the kangaroos, calling himself their "mom" without losing a bit of his masculinity. When I found out he had written a book, I had to get it! I literally read it cover to cover in one day! His love for his "babies" and what he does shines through from every page. I hope to see more of him in the future and I will be following his work closely. We need a million more men just like him.

[Susanne Latour · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ Any animal lover who’s not following @thekangaroosancturary on Instagram or Facebook is missing out on a whole lot of kangaroo cuteness.

I will say the writing wasn’t stand out but the love, compassion and commitment Chris ‘Brolga’ Barns has for orphaned kangaroos sure made up for it. I’ve been following his accounts for a little while now and just recently found out that he had written a book a few years ago and immediately had to purchased it to find out how the kangaroo sanctuary came to be. Through many trials, tribulations and moments of doubt, Chris and his never ending desire to help finally paid off and his dream finally came true. This kangaroo ‘mom’ is a true inspiration for anyone who has a passion for helping out any animal in need.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kangaroo Dundee is about a man living in the central part of Australia. It is an inspiring book of a man who dedicates his life to nurturing sick and abandoned kangaroos. Great book for animal lovers.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and inspirational read of the life and activities of Chris 'Brolga' Barns, who runs a sanctuary near Alice Springs where he looks after orphaned baby kangaroos. Loved the TV series and this book provided his back story and some really interesting tales of his 'adventures' - 10/10

[Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had this book on my shelf for ages. I went looking for Australiana books while I had a friend over from overseas and just thought that this looked a little interesting. The other night I decided to pick it up. Which was great, but also a mistake. I didn’t put it back down again. Something about the familiarity of our beautiful country, Brolga’s passions and the great Aussie voice completely reeled me in and made it just impossible to put this down. Or sleep. Even though I was absolutely buggered…

My family has always rescued birds (and the occasional possum) found on the side of the road. So many of the things that Brolga goes through are kind of familiar. The heartbreak of losing something because of human stupidity, or just a simple accident. And the joy at nursing something back to health, just to return it to the wild and a life that they can now live. It’s all familiar, and incredibly heart-warming to read about in someone else’s words.

This story takes you all along the western coast of Australia, to the Top End, and back down to central Australia. Mostly throughout the outback and more intense parts of our country, but I loved the vividness and realism of Barns’ descriptions. This is definitely a book that I’m going to be recommended to others, and reading a few more times.

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember seeing a tv program about this fellow and the kangaroo orphans he has rehabilitated, and I very much enjoyed reading his story. It lost a star for lack of proofreading - a couple of times the author used "bought" instead of "brought", and even though Australia went to the metric system back in the seventies, he talks in terms of miles and feet and inches, and pounds. I'm not sure if this was for the American market, but with the whole of the rest of the world now using metric, I felt this was a mistake.

[Melissa Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this story. Now I need to watch the doco.

[Eveline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely written in a way that keeps you hooked. Also very Australian. Defenitely recommended.

[Janice Sackfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started to follow this guy on Instagram hence buying his book. There's a film out this year 2025 about his story. So humbling to read his story. Just brilliant.

[Steph Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Great to get the background story having followed The Kangaroo Sanctuary on Instagram for a long while. What a remarkable man.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember watching the TV series many years ago. Loved the book too. Brolga is such a caring compassionate man. Heartwarming to hear all his stories about the orphaned Joey’s.

[Rachel (Sfogs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any animal lover with a dream to help animals, can be inspired by this book.
Brolga is doing an amazing job rescuing and fostering baby Kangaroos.
Though it was very tough going at the beginning, a lot of hard work, luck, and his Uncle helped to make his dream of a Kangaroo Sanctuary a reality.
Where he can continue to spread the word about rescuing joeys, from road kill to cruelty cases. Everyone of them is given a chance to grow up, happy and healthy, and if all goes well, return to the wild.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband and I sat entranced through three hours of beautifully filmed documentary about Chris Brolga Barns' kangaroo sanctuary, much to our surprise. I was intrigued enough to want to know more. This well written memoir tells his life story as well as the kangaroos'. Enjoyed it very much, especially his vivid descriptions of the Outback. His rationale for why he does what he does is very convincing, and his efforts have gotten a lot of support since the tv shows.

[Denise Boneham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this for Christmas and loved it. It was nice to find that TV Brolga is a genuinely lovely Aussie 'bloke' and what he does for the roos is magnificent. Hope the sales of this eminently readable help keep the Kangaroo Sanctuary going ;)

[Kathryn Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very heart-warming story with educational aspects regarding Australian wildlife, particularly kangaroos.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brolga is a living legend. We are so lucky to have someone who understands and cares about kangaroos so much. We really do need to learn so much more about our native wildlife in Australia.

[Nine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wieder viel gelernt und dankbar für neue Einblicke. Es sollte noch viel mehr Menschen geben, die sich so für den Tierschutz einsetzen.