Released next week, Kangaroo is poised to become one of the year's standout feel-good family films. Here in the Australian Outback, with a pair of dozing joeys cradled in my arms, it feels as though I've stepped directly onto the silver screen.
The Heart of the Outback: A Sanctuary Setting
The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs lies at the core of Australia's dusty red centre. Three evenings a week, just before sunset, founder Chris 'Brolga' Barns welcomes visitors to hold baby kangaroos while dozens of adults hop freely and other joeys drink from milk bottles.
The filmmakers behind the beloved Paddington movies selected Barns' sanctuary and the remote town of Alice Springs as the perfect backdrop. The location is surrounded by sweeping mountain ranges and boasts a rich, gritty melting pot of culture, language, and Aboriginal history.
Economic and Cultural Impact
Approximately 200 local businesses participated in the production. Crews collaborated closely with traditional elders to honour cultural sensitivities, as the town resides within Arrernte Country, managed under Australia's Aboriginal Land Rights system. An impressive £2.2 million was injected directly into the community.
Now, there is a strong hope that tourists from across the globe will flock to Alice Springs, located in Australia's sparsely populated Northern Territory, to explore the real-life locations featured in the film.
Life at the Sanctuary
The sanctuary is home to around 70 kangaroos. 'The first thing we do when an orphan arrives is provide them with a buddy so they are never alone,' Barns explains to a small group of visitors during my visit. 'We rescue babies from deceased mothers found at the roadside... So to them, I'm mum,' he says, while feeding a pair of orphans from a milk bottle.
The Film's Fictional Story
The movie Kangaroo is set in the fictional Outback town of Silver Gum. It follows Sydney TV weatherman Chris Masterman, portrayed by Ryan Corr, who becomes stranded after a car accident. He teams up with a twelve-year-old indigenous girl named Charlie, played by Lily Whiteley, to rescue injured and orphaned kangaroos.
Barns, the real-life founder of the sanctuary established twenty years ago, has never worked as a weatherman, crashed his car into a kangaroo, or befriended a local girl named Charlie. However, he undoubtedly shares Corr's star quality.
Meet Chris 'Brolga' Barns
He is a tall, charismatic former zookeeper who cuts a wild, Crocodile Dundee-type figure in his Outback hat and khaki overalls. It is little wonder locals have nicknamed him Kangaroo Dundee.
Most of his kangaroos, he notes, have been brought in by drivers who discovered a dead creature and checked inside the pouch. Barns is passionate about educating visitors on the necessity of this action. His top tip is always to carry a pillowcase in your car boot to serve as a temporary pouch for an orphaned joey.
He picks up a bucket of feed, and a dozen adult kangaroos come bouncing over in a scene so picture-perfect it almost appears staged. Yet Barns insists this occurs daily on his 188-acre reserve, even when public tours are not operating.
The Sanctuary's Ultimate Goal
'To try to get all of them back to the bush,' he states regarding the sanctuary's eventual aim. Children must be over seven years old to visit the reserve, which is far from a kangaroo-themed Disneyland. There is no gift shop or café, and Barns intends to keep it that way.
Exploring Alice Springs
There is plenty more to experience in Alice Springs. After cuddling and bottle-feeding the joeys, I try dot painting with local artist Ayeye Atyenhe in the town's botanic gardens.
Then, I go swimming in sacred gorges surrounded by some of the world's oldest eucalyptus and ghost gum trees. I even attend a traditional healing ceremony at the Akeyulerre Healing Centre.
Guided Tours and Cultural Insights
Bill from Sandrifter Safaris is your guide for a day trip exploring the nearby East MacDonnell Ranges. John from Alice Springs Expeditions runs fantastic tours in the equally breathtaking West MacDonnell Ranges, offering a chance to visit many of the gorges, waterholes, and hiking trails featured in the film.
On a tour of West MacDonnell, our Aboriginal guide Will shares some of the 'dreaming' creation stories passed down through generations. These narratives are used to explain the landscape's giant rock formations.
It is a joyful experience immersing oneself in the remote, evocative scenery, much like witnessing the kangaroos up close and personal. My advice? Go see the film, then visit the stars of it, too.
Kangaroo is released in UK cinemas on Friday, January 30.
Family-Friendly Accommodation in Alice Springs
The Crowne Plaza offers a straightforward, mid-range hotel option with children's and adult's pools, plus a gym, spa, laundry facilities, and three restaurants. It features 205 rooms and is just a ten-minute drive from the airport.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel is similarly family-friendly, boasting a garden, tennis courts, and children's and adult's pools. Its pan-Asian restaurant Hanuman is a local favourite; the cast and crew of Kangaroo dined there after the premiere.
Discovery Parks is the best choice for camping or self-catering. The caravan park is popular with children thanks to its on-site waterpark, playground, BMX park, and games room. Accommodation ranges from safari tents to deluxe two-bedroom cabins.
