Two crude but highly visible home-stencilled signs that have appeared on Murramarang Road south of Bawley Point understate how sick the locals are of hitting kangaroos.
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A stream of roos cross the road to Kioloa almost every day in the early morning and particularly in the late afternoon, according to nearby residents.
Jash Barber’s verandah overlooks the hit zone where he has seen, heard about or picked up pieces of broken headlights after three vehicles in the space of a week were involved in collisions with roos.
Shoalhaven Mayor Joanna Gash also had the displeasure on a recent visit to the area.
Jash’s mother Tina Barber sees them “stream through in thousands” and watches her small dog go crazy trying to figure out whether to chase them off or round them up.
“Their numbers have exploded after breeding from the ANU Kioloa campus,” she says.
The Australian National University’s coastal campus facilities included a beef herd but production became unviable and the enterprise stopped, leaving the roos a peaceful - and protected - place to multiply.
Local residents and farmers are fed up and have asked the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Shoalhaven City Council what can be done, including the option of culling.
Jash Barber works as flight attendant at Mascot through the week and drives home four to five times a month, mainly on weekends.
“I have a clear run for three hours on the motorway, then when I get within a few minutes of home, I have to worry about hitting a roo. I always see some,” he said.
Bawley Point residents Mariah and Tim Beckett say drivers are losing thousands of dollars in insurance.
“Sooner or later someone is going to get hurt either hitting or swerving to avoid a roo,” Mariah said.
“Up near Queanbeyan at least they have signs saying kangaroos jump randomly in front of vehicles.”