Roo seeks refuge from heat and fires in backyard pool

Native animals are seeking out any relief they can from the heat and fires, including a kangaroo who took a dip in a backyard pool in New South Wales.

The roo was filmed at a property in Merriwa, in the Upper Hunter region.

The short clip shows the kangaroo staring directly into the camera while casually standing chest deep in water.

The property's owner filmed the encounter and posted it to the viral website Reddit.

The roo spent "a few hours hours chilling poolside" before making its getaway, the owner said.

Merriwa is only a few kilometres away from the Meads Creek West blaze in the Goulburn River National Park.

Kangaroos aren't the only native animals desperate to cool down and slake their thirst.

Another Reddit user posted a cute photo of an echidna stopping by for a drink in a pond.

And farmer Phil, from the Warrumbungle Mountains, last week shared a video of the parade of wild animals – including goannas, echidnas, parrots and roos – all drinking from a water trough on his property.