Residents in the small coastal town of Maaroom, on Queensland's Fraser Coast, can no longer enjoy their afternoon walks.
The quiet little town of around 220 permanent residents is under siege by a growing mob of kangaroos.
Perfectly manicured coastal lawns can at times be occupied by more than 15 kangaroos.
But it is not enough to deter keen fishers and grey nomads on their travels.
Caravan Park manager Karen Sutcliffe had to warn visitors to be cautious around the kangaroos.
"There are too many to count, really. They're constantly hopping around the park in between caravans," she said.
"People are walking around with a big stick now.
"I've been wanting to go fishing of an afternoon but I won't do that, just in case a kangaroo gets me.
"They're just so quick you don't know where they are."
The perfect environment
Resident Mark Sidaway said recent weather patterns had favoured the kangaroos' breeding habits.
"The last couple of years we've had La Niña where we get a lot more rain and conditions are conducive to grass growing and we all manage our lawns very well," he said.
"Some people are very good mowers and they keep it shorter, which means fewer kangaroos in your yard, and if you don't mow as regularly, you're going to get big herds coming into your yard.
"They've multiplied because we have provided a Sizzler smorgasbord for them.
"Hopefully people get the message and stop mistreating them and maybe the other person walking down the street doesn't get belted."
In the past 12 months, the Department of Environment and Science has received seven reports of attacks.
The most recent left a 67-year-old woman recovering in hospital with a broken leg.
DES manager for southern wildlife operations Frank Mills said Maaroom's situation was unusual compared with other communities that had kangaroo issues.
"While there actually are quite a few attacks with kangaroos in Queensland, mostly they're dealing with male kangaroos and it's usually a territorial or a mating display," Mr Mills said.
"All of these issues have been with female kangaroos with a joey at foot.
"We've counted more than 60 to 80 kangaroos on any given day within the town itself and the local forests that surround that wouldn't support that many kangaroos."
Human interaction
Mr Mills said the department had received reports of residents feeding the kangaroos.
"This can have a negative effect and actually encourage them to get closer to humans," he said.
"The other thing that we've had reported is that there are other people in the town who are potentially using things like gel blasters to discourage kangaroos.
"That can have a negative effect on how those animals feel about humans and it may make them more aggressive."
The Department of Environment and Science says there are no plans to cull the kangaroos.
