My Quest to Find a Kangaroo

Tim and I went on our first weekend-getaway to Hunter Valley, one of Australia’s major wine regions located about 100 miles north of Sydney.  Home to numerous wineries, it is known for producing Semillon and Shiraz wines as well as many others. It is a popular area for the passionate wine connoisseur as well as the occasional wine sipper. The vineyards are breathtakingly beautiful and the wine tours are educational and quite fun.

I, on the other hand, had a different mission in mind for this weekend getaway. In addition to the 150 wineries, Hunter Valley is also known to be one of the best places to spot a kangaroo! And that was my weekend quest!

We stayed at a charming bed and breakfast called Thistle Hill. It was absolutely lovely and I was told you could see kangaroos at dawn and dusk. I woke up early and walked the grounds every morning. Watching the sunrise was glorious, the early morning walk was wonderful, breakfast was delightful, but no kangaroos!

On the first day, we saw beautiful rich vineyards. They were absolutely picturesque but I was still on my mission to find a kangaroo. No luck yet.

I saw a wombat and kangaroo crossing signs, but no kangaroos!

We took a wine tour at Piggs Peake Winery. Might as well enjoy the wineries since I still could not find a kangaroo.

That same evening, the Thistle Hill Bed and Breakfast owner arranged for a minibus to take guests to dinner at a local eatery. We were all chit chatting on the bus about various topics, and I brought up my frustration that I had not yet seen a kangaroo. Everyone on the bus was Australian and they made it their mission to make sure this American got to see her first kangaroo. All eyes were looking out the windows and finally, a kangaroo was spotted! Not just one, there must have been 10 kangaroos in the field. I was so excited.  I felt all aflutter and I rushed to get my phone to get a quick picture. With the bus on the side of the road and everyone watching me, I tried to snap the picture as fast as I could.

Once we were at the restaurant,  I immediately took out my phone to look at the picture of my first kangaroo.

My phone must have slipped with all the excitement.  To make the situation worse several of the guests, personally engaged in the kangaroo picture mission, asked how the photo turned out.  UGH! So embarrassing but at least we all got a good laugh.

The next day there were more vineyards, very interesting antique shops, and fabulous ethnic restaurants. Our time in Hunter Vally was sadly coming to an end and I thought my chance to see another kangaroo was over. I glanced out my window on our way back from the restaurant and much to my surprise, I saw a court of kangaroos!  There must have been 50  in this field. I got a picture and my mission was complete.

My weekend was complete.  I got to spend a relaxing weekend with my husband, bought a few bottles of good wine and saw my first court of kangaroos in their natural habitat and even had some laughs along the way.  Life does not get better than that!