Hitchhiking wallaby returns home after 2,000km round trip

A tiny wallaby found 1,000 kilometres from home has been returned to north Queensland, hitching a ride with a young traveller.

"Little Claudia" spent the past month in the south-west of the state after being found on the side of the road west of Townsville next to her mother, who had been hit by a car.

The group that picked her up was unable to find a wildlife carer until nine hours down the road in Charleville, a long way from the agile wallaby's normal habitat.

Majella Stapleton has been caring for rescued roos in Charleville for two decades and currently has 17 in her care.

"I've had lots of wallies from here over the years, but she's my first from up there," Ms Stapleton said.

"She was just the most amazing little livewire and such a character."

Getting Claudia back to Townsville

The agile wallaby, or the sandy wallaby, is the most prevalent species found in northern Australia.

Active mainly at dawn and dusk, their unpredictable movements in low light make them frequent victims of vehicle strikes.

Across outback Queensland, roadkill is a common sight, and while some people make a living shooting kangaroos, a network of registered wildlife carers is dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating those that survive.

Many rescues start with observant travellers who stop to check injured kangaroos or wallabies along the roadside.

When Townsville traveller Willow Wells rescued an eastern grey joey near Barcaldine, she contacted Charleville wildlife rescuer Shannon Mathes for help.

After dropping off the eastern grey, Ms Wells was handed another passenger for the trip back north: Claudia.

"We had her in a little pouch, and we did make stops along the way at servos to ask them for a bit of hot water to mix up in a milk bottle for her," she said.

How to rescue a joey

Ms Mathes said the initial group did the right thing getting the agile wallaby to a registered carer, even though it was so far away.

"They scooped her up and kept her warm. They tried to source some carers out that way, but didn't have any luck," she said.

"If anyone's travelling on the road, please stop and check those pouches if it's safe to do so.

"If you can drag the mother off the road, it's easier to check the pouch, get the joey out."

Ms Mathes advised pulling the joey by the tail or legs.

"You want to scoop them out like a baby, but don't do that. Just do the legs, tail, straight out, and just keep them warm," she said.

"Wrap them in a pillowcase, jumper, put them under your shirt … warmth will keep them alive."

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