Dot and the Kangaroo (1977) on Netflix

Plot summary

In New South Wales in 1884, Dot is a barefoot, red-haired girl who goes out from her home to gather grass in a paddock. A lonely rat catches her attention, and she loses her way in the bush. A female red kangaroo whose joey is gone offers Dot a berry that lets her understand the speech of animals. When the two grow thirsty, the kangaroo has Dot ride in her pouch on the way to a waterhole, where she tells the ducks not to fear, since people cannot see them once they have sheltered there for hours. That night, Jack the farmhand and Dot's father hunt for the girl while she and the kangaroo rest in the bush. Next morning, while the kangaroo is away, a kookaburra fights off a snake that threatens Dot.