Imagine Bungwahl-based aquatic ecologist, Keith Bishop's surprise and delight when he and wife Michiyo Nikaido witnessed a rather clever swamp wallaby escape almost certain death by strategically sending a disgruntled dingo on what can only be described as a 'wild goose chase'.

The unusual zoological scene unfolded late last month over about five minutes during the couple's planned daily walk and swim along the beach at Seal Rocks.

"As we drove into Seal Rocks along the first beach a swamp wallaby crossed the road in front of us and headed down to the beach," Dr Bishop said.

"To our astonishment it then crossed the beach then entered the water and began swimming out."

At about 100 metres from shore the little macropod began to encounter a set of big waves, and daunted, decided to turn back.

But, at 20 metres out, the wallaby began swimming/hopping in a parallel direction to the the beach for about 250 metres south.

"Given this was within NSW school holidays the beach was crowded, and as the wallaby passed, everybody stood up and looked in disbelief and many approached the water's edge hoping to save the poor animal," Dr Bishop said.

"At this time I was concerned that the wallaby would not exit the water because of all of the people in pursuit."

The scientist then began to question the wallaby's unusual behaviour wondering if it had acquired some kind of brain injury.

"Did it hit its head on an overhanging branch knocking itself senseless?"

Amazingly the wallaby outpaced the concerned beach-goers, left the water crossing the sandy isthmus to the island, then re-entered the water on the other side entering a narrow rocky channel with surging waves.

It then swam along the channel for about 30 metres before exiting to the mainland side across steep, sloping rock, then disappeared into the bush.

Gone!

What had we just witnessed, Dr Bishop questioned?

"We turned back and looked down the beach then saw a dingo apparently following the same line of the wallaby where it entered the water."

The dingo reached the water's edge, looked out to sea for a while, then turned back to cross the beach then disappeared back into the nearby bush once crossing the road.

When the dingo was on the beach a holidaying father nearby, who had a baby on a rug, quickly stood up in fear and picked up the baby.

"Backpackers in a van parked nearby later told us that the dingo was very big.

"We walked back along the beach and saw that the tracks of the dingo in the sand coincided with the wallaby tracks."

It then all gelled!

"That wallaby had no brain damage - it was a strategy to escape the pursuing dingo!

"In the water - no tracks, no scent, and out of view by the time the dingo reached the beach.

"A very clever and athletic wallaby.

"This one survives and gets to pass on very good survival genes.

"Later on when thinking about what we had seen, I remembered decades ago seeing wallabies on remote islands in Papua New Guinea.

"When I asked locals how they got there they said they simply swam, and that they often come across them 50-100 kilometres out to sea.

"Different species, but it makes you realise what is possible within the wallaby group.":

While this was the couple's first siting of a swamp wallaby on the beach, dingoes were a regular.

However, Dr Bishop said he had seen a few dead wallabies washed up on the beach.

"Perhaps some of these had been chased into the water by dingoes."

Dr Bishop described his reaction to the unusual event as a combination of amazement and bewilderment followed by the satisfaction of 'joining the dots'.

"Later on I felt very privileged that we had stumbled onto this event getting an insight as what is going on around us in the natural world.

"A zoologist's dream beach visit."

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