Marissa from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore undertaking an exchange at Flinders University during Semester 1 2025.

The Global Experience team at Flinders coordinated a day-trip to Victor Harbour for the incoming international students during Orientation Week. The highlight of that trip for me was our visit to the Urimbirra Wildlife Park! Our first stop of the day, and no doubt the best one. Upon entry, we received a bag of feed each and saw a myriad of different animals – from ducks in the pond to colourful birds in their enclosures. But just past the enclosures, we were immediately greeted by at least TEN kangaroos! We were all ever so excited and started taking photos, videos and feeding them. This was only my second time getting up close and personal with kangaroos – the first being my visit to the Paradise Country Farm in Gold Coast two years ago – and it was an experience that felt just as surreal and exciting as the first. It’s just super cool to be able to stand right in front, or next to these iconic Aussie creatures, just watching them chill on the green grass or hop effortlessly across the open fields. 

I spent quite a bit of time feeding, petting and snapping pictures of and with them. There was even one kangaroo that had a little bit of a beef with me! It did not want to eat the feed from me, so I thought he was just full but when my friend handed him some, he ate them eagerly! I tried again, failed, tried again and failed again. It just gave me the side eye so I kept my distance and unfriended him – we clearly were not vibing.

Afterwards, we queued at the koala area where we could eventually take pictures and pet them! They were so cute and we loved that we could pet them and even watch one of them fall asleep. And yes, koalas are just as soft and adorable as you would imagine (and maybe even a little more unbothered than expected). 

I thoroughly enjoyed myself on this day-trip to Victor Harbour, and am super grateful to Flinders for arranging this for us as I would have never been down here if not for them (also because I do not have a driving license). 

Marissa was fortunate to be awarded a Destination Australia Cheung Kong Exchange Program Scholarship to support her exchange experience.

Photos: Kangaroo and Koala at Urimbirra Wildlife Park, Victor Harbour, SA