Who doesn’t like kangaroos? They are really beautiful. Physically, a mobile kangaroo is not capable of taking a backward step- they just can’t go back! You heard me right – kangaroos can only move forward. That’s why they represent valour, and have been designated as the unofficial symbol of Australia. They have been marked on the Australian coat of arms – the formal symbol of Australia. I visited the Weston Park in Canberra to say hello to the wonderful creatures. In this post I will share my experiences from my encounter with the pouched mammals (marsupials).
Why Weston Park?
Kangaroos are native to Australia, and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel in Australia. Obviously, I wanted to see the kangaroos. In fact, before my Australian trip, I tried to find a place where I could see the cute kangaroos.
I wanted a guaranteed mobile kangaroo sighting, that too in the wild, not in a zoo. After lots of research, I narrowed it down to the Weston Park. My sole objective behind the Weston Park visit was to see the kangaroos (apart from the scenery).
I took a bus
After visiting the Blundell’s Cottage, I took a bus to the to the Weston park.
I got down at the last bus stop close to the park and took a walk – it was about the 700m walk to the Weston Park. The scenery along the way was just gorgeous.
I was hopeless
As I walked to the park, I couldn’t see even one mobile kangaroo. I even asked a local guy who was on a bicycle ride that where I could possibly see kangaroos. He mentioned that seeing kangaroos heavily depended on luck and the best time would be morning or evening. Since I was there in the afternoon, I felt devastated. I just wanted to the kangaroo, anything less than that was not acceptable to me. 🙂
The Molonglo River
The Weston Park is located very close to the Molonglo River. I just stopped by the river, and saw cute black swans playing in the water. The River looked very beautiful. In fact, the whole surroundings looked peaceful and serene. The scattered sunlight was giving a very relaxed vibe in the park.
I stopped for a while to capture photos. There weren’t many tourists, and I was walking solo – with my GPS. However, none of the kangaroos appeared yet.
Still, I kept walking
I was still hopeful to see the kangaroos. Despite being a bit hopeless, I kept walking to explore the park.
The park was huge. Although I hadn’t seen kangaroos yet, I did enjoy walking in the park and taking photos. The Mother Nature had absolutely bestowed its grace on the park.
Then I saw the kangaroos
I was in the Weston Park now. And I saw the kangaroos – not one or two. There were hundreds of them, if not thousands. Some were big, some small. Their colours were very different – I felt like in a multi-cultural environment. This was my first time seeing kangaroos in the wild. Sure, I had seen them in the zoo – but I would rather not mention that state of affair.
I was afraid of mobile kangaroo
The kangaroos were busy with their regular life activities. Suddenly they heard my footsteps, and appeared on red alert. Soon, they were all looking at me. Although they looked cute and curious, I was a bit scared and didn’t know if I should get close to them. Would they jump on me? Are they going to bite?
But nothing like this happened. As I started walking towards them, they started going away. I realised that kangaroos were shy by nature. I felt safer.
The hopping kangaroos
Although, a mobile kangaroo keeps changing its location, they cannot walk. In fact, kangaroos travel by hopping with powerful hind legs. I was able to see the practical demonstration as they were virtually jumping in the air. Although, the hopping speed was not much, I could never touch a kangaroo. The moment we got closer, they were gone. I took a lot of photos and videos –and some of them are available in this post.
The Cuban couple
Later I met a Cuban couple in the park. This was the first time for me to meet someone from Cuba- and I did tell them this fact. Like me, they were also travelling in Australia. We discussed a bit of politics, and they also mentioned about the improving ties beaten the USA and Cuba. They were very friendly, but their English pronunciation has been often very difficult to understand. We took selfies together and I gave them my name card. But we are not in touch.
Back to the kangaroos
After the Cuban couple had left the park, I was back to the kangaroos. I took lots of photos again.
I realised that I forgot to ask the couple to click a few pics for me with kangaroos in the background. Finally, I had to take selfies.
What does the kangaroo eat?
Australia is the only continent where wild kangaroos are found. Although there are different species of kangaroos, they do not eat meat. They are basically herbivores, and mainly eat plants.
The old lady
I saw an old lady in the park. As we came near, I politely requested her to click a few photos for me, and she kindly agreed. But her hands were a bit trembling, and despite her trying so many times, she could not click my photos.
The buttons were not being pressed. I had to give her some basic training and eventually she did click photos. Nevertheless, I felt sorry about disturbing her.
Back to the downtown
After the park visit, I again had to walk to the bus stop which was some 10 minutes away (if you don’t stop for taking photos – but I did stop). By the time I reached downtown, it was already a dark night.
To conclude, the Weston Park is a must visit place in Canberra. Be it a guaranteed mobile kangaroo sighting, or to see the scenery, or to stroll around the serene Molonglo River, the area has lots to offer. It’s an ideal place for picnics as well. Do stop by, I am sure you gonna love it. The Weston Park visit is absolutely worth it.
That’s it about my Weston park visit. Do check my other posts about Australia. You can check out my Canberra reviews (Part 1, Part 2), Sydney travel reviews (Part 1 and Part 2), or the other countries, or the complete navigation list. You can also find more about me.
Comments and suggestions are always welcome. 🙂
With love.