Here you really can get up close and kiss a kangaroo.
Feeding one of the babies (joey) who has a broken tail from a car accident.
*Image copyright Lesley Mitchell
At Josephine's they have an Aboriginal art gallery with truly unique paintings they can ship all over the world for you.
You can visit the lucky strike mine hidden beneath the gallery and kangaroo orphanage. Watch all four forms of opal mining; open cut, tunneling, drilling and hand mining.
They have a museum display of opals, including black opals from all the major Australian opal fields.
A souvenir shop where you can purchase didgeridoos, aboriginal art, opal and opal jewellery.
The kangaroo orphanage came about as a need to care for injured and damaged kangaroos and joeys. Some of them have been hit by cars, others were in their mothers' pouch when she was hit by a car. Some of them have been hunted for meat by the aborigines, only to discover that a baby was in the pouch of the kangaroo mother. They are then brought into the orphanage.
As you enter the feeding area there is a small fence and you can see and feed all the kangaroos waiting for you.
Feeding the kangaroos.
*Image copyright Lesley Mitchell
You will be entertained by stories about their personalities, their names and their history.
Generally there is one or two baby joeys there for you to see and they will be carefully carried out and bottle fed in front of you.
Once they have had their fill, they will take a couple of ungainly wobbly hops in the ground and then snuggle back into their makeshift pouch. Once they are feeling secure and supported, they will be carefully carried around and you will have your opportunity to kiss a kangaroo.
It is not a kiss as we would know it, but rather kangaroos get to know each other by breathing and smelling each other's breath. If you place your face near theirs and blow a gentle breeze on their nose they will respond by doing the same and nuzzling into the side of your face, thereby you have received a kangaroo kiss.
Having a kangaroo 'kiss.
*Image copyright Lesley Mitchell'
It is a moving experience and one you will certainly remember, I strongly recommend you to visit if you have the time here.
The kangaroo orphanage is entirely privately funded and funds are often quite scarce, therefore it relies on donations from members of the public to assist in the running and care of these beautiful animals.
If you are not in a position to visit here but would like to make a donation to the running and maintenance of this orphanage please contact the owners on the below email or phone number and ask about making a donation.
Tell them Lesley from weekendnotes.com sent you!
They have daily feeding times at 12 noon and 5:30 PM
Opening times.
Entry is by donation, however they must drink a special formula as kangaroo babies (joeys) cannot be fed dairy products and the formula costs $20 per can to purchase. If you donate $20, you are purchasing a can of the formula which will assist some of the new babies. They will give you a lid of a formula can which you can then decorate yourself and then nail onto a wall as a memento of your visit and your generosity.
Nailing our formula tin to the wall.
Arrive a little early as they close the doors when they go out together to do the feeding and they will not reopen them until they have completed.
They also have limited numbers of people they can take in for each feeding.
The mine tours are held at 2 PM, 3 PM and 4 PM daily or by appointment. They cost $10 per adult and $2 per child.
Josephine's gallery and kangaroo orphanage can be found at
131-133 Hutchison Street
Coober Pedy
Telephone (08) 8672 5931
Email: josephine@josephinesgallery.com.au
The front entrance to the gallery and orphanage.
