On your next visit to Kelowna, you might just want to hop on over to the Kangaroo Creek Farm. As one of the more unique family-friendly attractions in the Okanagan, my family and I visited the farm last fall on our week long trip to the Okanagan. And next month, the farm is reopening on March 18 after a winter hiatus. So, I thought I would share with you this throwback review in time for Spring Break vacation planning.
Lake Country
Kangaroo Creek Farm is located in Lake Country which is about a 20 minute drive from Downtown Kelowna. There is parking on the side road and you need to walk down a steep hill to get to the farm. While dirt, uneven ground, fur are expected at a farm, I found the grounds at Kangaroo Creek to quite well kept. We were able to navigate our stroller throughout the farm for the most part.
Admission
Admission is $10 adults, $5 Youth (anyone under 19), $5 seniors (65 and older). Children under 5 free. Most people spend about 1 -2 hours visiting.
The Grounds
There are two enclosed areas where the animals are kept. One area seems to be where the “larger” animals (like kangaroos, capybaras, wallaroos, wallabies) and the other for the “smaller” animals (like birds, joeys).
The Story
An old Huffington Post article shed light on how the farm came to be. In the ’80s, New Zealand was eradicating all non-native species, including kangaroos. These animals were considered pests that were competing with native species or displacing them. Unfortunately, these non-native species of New Zealand were being killed. Kangaroo Creek owner Caroline MacPherson had a friend at the time who took on ten kangaroos from a New Zealand farm; these kangaroos would have been otherwise killed. They were resettled in Canada onto MacPherson’s farm, which was a then-government designated quarantine area. After making the move to work on the farm fulltime, MacPherson added capybaras, emus, goats and pigs to keep the kangaroos company.
Kangaroos
The kangaroos are obviously the main attraction of the farm and they are quite domesticated. The staff were around to give visitors food to feed the kangaroos. Having visited Australia five years ago, it was nice, warm feeling to see kangaroos again.
And because it was a rather warm, sunny day, the roos were for the most part resting and hanging out in the shade. You can pet the kangaroos but only on their back.
Joeys
One of the highlights of the farm is that they offer a chance to hold the joeys. All visitors had to sit in a chair and wait for the handler to bring the joey. You only get a few minutes with the joeys before they are passed to someone else.
They were all cozy and wrapped in blankets.
In the main area, you could see joeys in their mums’ pockets.
Capybara
Another memorable part of the visit was seeing the capybaras. The capybara is the largest rodent in the world. At the farm, I felt like they gave a majestic kind of vibe.
There was a small man-made lake were the capybaras could swim.
The capybaras did not mind being fed and were friendly to visitors.
Other Animals
The farm also had an albino wallaby named “Irwin” in honour of the late Australian conservationist Steve Irwin.
We got to know the sugar glider, which is a small, omnivorous, arboreal and nocturnal gliding possum.
Staff presented a parrot to visitors at the farm.
And there were chickens with very interesting feather patterns unlike those on typical farms.
Overall Impression of Kangaroo Creek Farm
My family and I quite enjoyed the visit to Kangaroo Creek Farm which was educational and eye-opening. Getting up-close with the joeys was a major highlight.
Website: kangaroocreekfarm.com