What the.... Kangaroos in Germany? Really?

Truth is stranger than fiction. A prime example can be found hidden away in a campground on the edge of an idyllic lake in Brandenburg. The campground is home to Jack and Jill - two Tasmanian kangaroos!

Im Campingpark Ludwig Leichhardt in Zaue am Schwielochsee können Besucher die legendären Beuteltiere Australiens erforschen, ohne ins Flugzeug steigen zu müssen Source: Zaue

The campground, nestled in a forest near Cottbus, is named after legendary German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt. It can be visited all year round and is a popular hideaway for young families from all over Germany.

Das Kängurupaar Jack und Jill wurde in Deutschland geboren und brachte 2014 den kleinen Jimba zur Welt, der inzwischen im Tierpark Cottbus lebt Source: Zaue

Ludwig Leichhardt set off from Sydney in August 1844 and was presumably killed on the Queensland Darling Downs in April 1848, aged 34. Oddly, he's better known in Australia than in Germany.

Blick auf den Schwielochsee, im Ferienhaus- und Campingpark Zaue. Ob Jack und Jill auch mal in Ufernähe anzutreffen sind, wenn es ruhig geworden ist? Source: Zaue

Leichhardt was born in Trebatsch/Sabrodt in the kingdom of Prussia. The "Society Ludwig Leichhardt Trebatsch e.V." looks after his legacy. There's also a Leichhardt-Trail where one learns more about the mysterious explorer.

Then, not to forget, the short film "1848" which imagines Leichhardt's fatal journey: