So you think that the drought is good because roo's are being killed?

Two major roadkill experiences for us:

Tasmania, a dead animal every 100 metres all the way around, mostly small wallabies.

Highway between Cunnamulla & Bourke last year, Emus & Kangaroos in huge numbers plus the occasional pig or goat. We had to slow to 80kph to avoid adding to the toll. The only green grass around was a thin strip along both sides of the bitumen.

We live in Cooma and travel a lot around the district. The roadkill between Canberra and Cooma is bad, but not as bad as it was about 3 years ago. Even so, it is getting bad these days. If a car hits a roo around here, the local panel beaters wont touch it if it is an out of town car - they put it on a truck and send it of to wherever. They have too much work already with the locals. The main cause is ski traffic. And no - most of them don't speed because they get melted by police radar if they do. But the traffic between Cooma and Canberra is horrendous. Sundays are probably the worst, with tired and probably half drunk skiers heading back home after a heavy weekend. Endless headlights (plus fog lights) coming towards you if we are heading home on a Sunday afternoon/evening, but any time during the week is nearly as bad these days.

And Summer is not that much better, with thousands of Canberrans heading to the coast or the mountains each weekend. They are the dangerous ones because there isn't quite as much traffic and they get out and overtake in stupid places. And the roos are still there then because of the drought. I rarely drive after dark, and if I have to, I don't so much more than 80 or 90 km/h because the roos just pop up in front of you anywhere, any time. Such is the joy of living in the country. The only place where I would say is worse is Barcaldine to Longreach and around Cunamulla. Now, they are problem areas indeed.

I spent a bit of time in and around northern New England Tablelands, across to Ashford/Bonshaw and into the Qld Granite Belt over the last 2 weeks. Travelling sealed and unsealed highways and byways, the roadkill numbers were so high that it was a talking point as we drove the roads. Now that roadkill isn't routinely collected and removed anymore, it's really noticeable.

I often travel on the Monaro Highway from Cann River to Canberra. The dead animals are often not due to speeding or the snow traffic. They line virtually the entire length of the road from the NSW/Vic border to Canberra. There are a number of problems including an enormous number of animals. Kangaroo numbers are out of control. Also the drought causes animals to graze the road reserve where they find more food and sometimes green food. Many of these animals are cleaned up by trucks. There are many logging and food trucks (Bedgood and others) that commute on this road and, of course, it is impossible for them to stop or swerve to miss a roo. Remember that kangaroos have few predators and they are a protected species. We have created a fantastic environment for them with farmland and that is why there are many more here now than there was in 1877 when they were speared for food and there was no farm country (read no grass).

Just Been from Mt Isa, across to Alice, over to Ayres Rock, out to Kings Canyon and now back in Alice. The whole way, there were about three kangas and quite a few cattle dead on the road. NT is devoid of any wildlife. Never saw a living thing, except in pens.

I miss Canberra where Kangas come into your yard even in the middle of suburbs. They are a pest though and driving at night is hazardous.