The pelage is close, crisp, and velvety and consists mainly of underfur. The general coloration is rich brown or rusty gray, brightest on the back and palest on the underparts.
Some individuals have a white area on the throat that extends as a narrow line to the chest.
This genus is unique among the Macropodidae in that the hind foot has a well-developed first digit that is movable and clawless but nonopposable to the other digits. It is used to gather nesting material. The muzzle is naked, and the ears are rounded, thin, and naked except at their posterior base. The claws are quite small, weak, and unequal in length. The females have four mammae and a well-developed pouch.