Fears of attacks as kangaroos move into Lake Macquarie suburb

When David Shin was home in South Korea and planning his trip to Australia, a visit to Wyee Point on the banks of Lake Macquarie was probably not on his original agenda.

But when he heard kangaroos roamed the streets in the area, he made it a must-see destination.

"I was really surprised and was excited, I can feed them directly from my hand," Mr Shin said.

"It was an extraordinary experience for me. 

Mr Shin said he knew kangaroos could become aggressive, but was not deterred.

"I wasn't really worried … because I was told they are very mild and they are not offensive," he said.

Dozens of kangaroos have set up home in the residential area, south of Newcastle, attracting tourists and prompting warnings about potential attacks.

While the Wyee Point Reserve kangaroos are getting used to visiting tourists and human contact, Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper said he was nervous.

"I think most people understand why tourists are coming up there," he said.

"Generally [residents] are sympathetic to it, but I think they're also concerned about the safety of these tourists coming in.

Fried chicken feed

The Wyee roos have become a social-media phenomenon, making the area a must-see for many visitors.

And Mr Piper said they do not come empty handed.

"We do see some ridiculous things trying to be fed to these kangaroos. Fried chicken has been observed," he said.

The kangaroos at Wyee Point hop among homes and lounge on lawns.

Resident Alvita Datenis is concerned about the size of the wild animals and the dependence they have on being fed. 

"You can't come too close and feed them. Personally, I've never done that," she said.

"People take selfies, whatever it is, and then come so close.

"They get used to you and they come to your home and are just expecting to get more food."

Chris Holder is worried about visitors introducing junk food, but happily feeds them pellets.

"I get about 30 every morning, especially little babies, and it's good," he said.

Feeding can kill

Dr Tania Bishop, a wildlife veterinarian with the animal rescue group WIRES, said no-one should be feeding the kangaroos anything.

She said feeding them bread could bloat the animals or give them bacterial conditions, potentially causing death.

"When people start feeding them, not only do they think, 'Oh, okay, there's food', the females will start breeding and create more kangaroos in that one area," she said.

"You'll find that these roos will start to hassle humans for food and that could potentially lead to negative interactions with people."

Kangaroo attacks

Seven years ago kangaroos in the grounds of the nearby Morisset hospital also became a tourist attraction, before aggression set in.

Some people were kicked, gouged, and injured when they had no food to give.

Greg Piper said the growing number of visitors at Wyee Point gave him a sense of deja vu.

"Especially the males, the kangaroo bucks, they can get very aggressive at times," he said.

"There has been quite a number of of people who have been injured when visiting at Morisset Hospital."

Dr Bishop agreed with the safety concerns. 

"As you can imagine, a large 80-kilogram male could be rather intimidating and that can lead to, obviously, the roos having to be taken away."

Spokespeople for the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Lake Macquarie Council each told the ABC the other was responsible for managing the Wyee Point kangaroos, and would be liable in the event of an incident.