BACK in the days of Phyllis Johnson's childhood, kangaroo boxing was a common sideshow attraction.

But never did the 94-year-old imagine she would end up going a round or two with a big red roo.

A giant red buck bounded into her Charleville backyard as she was hanging out the washing on Sunday, knocking her to the ground and kicking her several times.

The plucky bushie tried to beat the massive kangaroo off with a broom, but was outclassed when it came to sheer size, strength and bulk. Bruised, scratched and bleeding, she commando-crawled along the backyard until she reached a post on the side of her granny flat where she could pull herself upright and escape her attacker by retreating indoors.

"I thought it was going to kill me," Ms Johnson told The Courier-Mail from her bed at Charleville Hospital yesterday.

"It was taller than me and it just ploughed through the clothes on the washing line straight for me.

"I happened to have a broom nearby and I just started swinging at it. I bashed it on the head but it kept going for me, not even the dog would help, it was too frightened."

Ms Johnson said the raging roo maintained a vigil outside her Old Cunnamulla Rd home, until her son, who lived upstairs, arrived.

Despite wielding a big stick for protection, Ms Johnson's son couldn't get the kangaroo to hop along and the frightened duo were forced to call in the police.

Charleville Police OIC Sen-Sgt Stephen Perkins said two police officers arrived at the property, only to have the enraged roo barrel towards them.

Police were forced to use capsicum spray to subdue the frightened kangaroo, he said.

"One officer had to deploy his OC spray on the animal and it ran away and saw the other police officer out of the corner of its eye," Sen-Sgt Perkins said.

"The other officer also had to deploy his spray to keep from getting hurt. It's one of the many unusual calls we get out here."

Ms Johnson said she hadn't planned to go to hospital as a result of her injuries, although conceded it was the best place to be.

"I wasn't going to go but I was pretty bruised and scratched up," she said.

"My son made me. I'm okay, although the roo took a chunk of flesh out of my leg and there's a chance they'll have to operate."

Ms Johnson said she'd always had a soft spot for kangaroos.

"I used to feed them next door, give them some bread, and they've always been so gentle," she said.

"They weren't as big as that one though and they've never gone for me like that. This one seemed to target me, it was putting its feet into me and kicking."

Officers from Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services and the police worked together to trap the large kangaroo and are investigating how the animal came to be in the vicinity.

Originally published as Boxing kangaroo pulls no punches