Outback Kangaroo Viewing (Just 50 Miles North of Seattle)

Special to Seattlest by Sarah Johnston

Ever wake up overcome with the temptation to climb into a marsupial pouch? Are you tired of restricting your interactions to placental mammals, day in and day out? Break free!

The Outback Christmas Tree and Kangaroo Farm lives 49.5 miles north of Seattle and is an independently owned and operated animal haven of awesomeness. The drive is quick, the grounds are quaint, and the hometown Americana is off the charts. 40-minute tours are conducted every Wednesday through Sunday at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. Your guide provides tons of great educational tidbits, all of which are hard to focus on as you’re tramping around paths and pens, convincing yourself this wallaby or that kangaroo likes you best.

Inhabitants of this world o' outback wonder include kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, llamas, lemurs, alpacas, pygmy goats, peacocks, an ostrich, a mini donkey, parrots, and emus. The marsupials are plentiful and eat bread out of your hand. And they hop! No, seriously, they really hop!

Oreo the mini horse is a little testy so you can’t pet him, which is good because that would inevitably and immediately progress to attempts to ride him. While it’s a known fact that large birds can be borderline terrifying, the farm’s single ostrich Carl is endearing in his obvious want for lady companionship. And the baby pygmy goat is bound to cause a cuteness-related heart explosion.