A regional plane bound for Melbourne had to abort take-off after being damaged in a collision with a kangaroo on the runway.
During the initial stages of take-off for the pre-dawn flight at Mildura, the kangaroo collided with the propeller of Rex Airlines flight ZL3653 in darkness.
Passengers were transferred from the 34-seat plane, which was damaged in the collision, to another aircraft.
The airport at Mildura is ringed by a perimeter fence and it is unclear how the kangaroo managed to stray onto the runway.
The Saab 340 twin-turboprop damaged in the collision remains out of service.
