Two fighting kangaroos have been recorded trashing a campsite and crashing into a sleeping family's tent at the Trial Bay Gaol campground near South West Rocks.
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The brawl ended when the 'roos landed on children and an adult inside the tent, leaving them screaming.
Larry Whiteman was getting ready to go fishing around 6.30am on Saturday, January 14, when he and another camper came across the sparring kangaroos. He immediately started recording the fight.
"I just thought I'd start filming because they looked quite intimidating, and that was when they really started going for each other's throats," he said.
Mr Whiteman, who goes by Outback Larry on social media, said the fight went on for about seven minutes.
The video shows the two kangaroos crashing into a table and chairs before moving down a hill towards cars parked along the side of the road.
Mr Whiteman said he realised the seriousness of the fight when the kangaroos started moving towards the tents.
"I had never seen kangaroos fight in the wild... so when they started fighting three feet away (about one metre) from us and knocked that table over, I was thinking, 'oh, this is serious and really full-on,'" he said.
"Most of the campers were still asleep so once they started knocking into things, people started popping their heads out of their windows to see what was happening."
Mr Whiteman said the fight ended when the kangaroos crashed into a three-compartment tent which had four young girls sleeping inside.
"The girls were sleeping in the first compartment of the tent, the middle compartment had no one and the other compartment had the parents," he said.
"The mum had gotten up early to go to the toilet and started following us around while we were filming the kangaroo fight.
"When they crashed into the tent, she ran towards the kangaroos to try and get the girls out, so I had to pull her back because I knew if she went in between those two kangaroos one of them was going to hurt her."
Mr Whiteman said he was mindful not to let anyone go towards the kangaroos when they crashed into the tent.
"As much as it sucked seeing it happen, there wasn't anything you could do because whoever went to try and get the kangaroos off the tent could have made it worse or got injured themselves," he said.
"It's just lucky that the tent's poles were carbon fibre because when the kangaroos hit the tent, it actually flexed and pushed them back up rather than break it, and that was the only thing that saved those girls.
"The kangaroos moved away from the tent after that and I think one passed out from being choked, it was clear the one on top had won as he stood over the other. They left shortly after that."
A spokesperson for NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) said staff attended the campground where the fight took place and no one was injured in the incident.
"Our staff were aware of the kangaroos fighting at Trial Bay Gaol campground... and were on-site to provide assistance," the spokesperson said.
"Trial Bay Gaol campground in Arakoon National Park is home to kangaroos and seeing wildlife up close is one of the attractions of the area. Male kangaroos are known to fight or attack each other for dominance when mating.
"Unfortunately, two male kangaroos collided (sic) with a tent during a fight at the campground last weekend, causing distress to some campers.
"No one was injured in the incident and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) staff were on-site to provide assistance.
"NPWS provides all campers at Trial Bay campground with information regarding kangaroo safety on check-in, has installed educational signage at the campground and runs regular discovery programs to help visitors understand what they can do to stay safe and avoid unpleasant encounters with native wildlife."
Mr Whiteman said a day later, as he was coming back from the beach, he was confronted by one of the kangaroos in another stand-off.
"The kangaroo who lost was in our campsite drinking from a tap at the back and he tried to come through our tarp," he said.
"I was just standing there with a beach umbrella about two metres away. There was a table between us, and he was massive.
"When he tried to come under our tarp, I waved the umbrella at him and the look he gave me... I've never been so sure in my life that I was looking at death because that kangaroo looked like he was going to maul me."
Mr Whiteman, who's from the Central Coast, NSW, said it was he and his wife's first time camping at the Trial Bay Gaol campground.
He said the kangaroo fight did nothing to dampen their holiday as he called it one of the best camping experiences ever.
"We absolutely loved every minute of it," he said. "That is going to be our destination every year from now on because it's got everything we need and it's a great little spot.
"It was one of the best holidays we have ever had and that kangaroo fight just absolutely made the trip.
"If anything, it just served as a good reminder that although the kangaroos might look cuddly and cute, they can be vicious when they want to be."
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