🍺 Walkabout Creek Hotel (Crocodile Dundee Pub), McKinlay QLD

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Walkabout Creek Hotel is a little pub in north-west Queensland, which was put on the map by a big blockbuster movie.

Crocodile Dundee is an iconic Australian film, which was released back in 1986 and famously featured the Walkabout Creek Hotel in McKinlay.

You can see the bar from the movie set, which is in the back shed and even hold ‘the knife’ if you ask the bar staff.

These days the Walkabout Creek Hotel is located on the main street going through the town of McKinlay, although it originally sat round the corner on a side street. Make sure you stop in for some lunch and a drink on your way through.

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‘Crocodile Dundee Pub’ – Walkabout Creek Hotel

The Crocodile Dundee Movie

The main plot in the movie centres around Mick ‘Crocodile’ Dundee, an Aussie Bushman who allegedly lost half a leg to a crocodile. 

A New York feature writer comes all the way over to Australia and into the Northern Territory to meet and interview Crocodile Dundee. The story takes the two main characters from Outback Australia over to The Big Apple in the USA, with lots of adventures along the way.

The Crocodile Dundee Bar

Yep, this is the famous pub that old Mick Dundee hung out at in the Crocodile Dundee movie.

Although the movie was actually set in the Northern Territory, there are some significant sections that were filmed right here in McKinlay.

So that the locals didn’t have to lose their local watering hole during the making of the movie, a Movie Set Bar was constructed. You can find that out the back of the real pub and are welcome to wander out back to have a look around.

The Experience

For an iconic Aussie experience, it’s worth checking out the Crocodile Dundee Pub if you’re heading through town. It’s not very often you get to hang out on a real movie set in the middle of Outback Australia!

Guests are welcome to explore the pub and take as many photos as they like. However, they do ask for you to support the pub or make a donation to the Royal Flying Doctors in return. I reckon that’s a fair deal.

The Knife

It’s pretty well a right of passage for every Aussie to watch Crocodile Dundee. In fact, before we made our way to The Walkabout Creek Hotel, I realised that my own kids hadn’t seen it! I looked everywhere to find the movie for them to watch, but could only find snippets on YouTube.

Anyway, those that know the movie will know the line…

That’s not a knife. THAT’S a knife.

If you want to get a picture holding THE knife, it’s kept behind the bar – just ask for it, the staff are more than happy to oblige!

Camping at Walkabout Creek Hotel

In true blue Aussie fashion, travellers are welcome to set up camp out the back of the pub. Enjoy a beverage or two and take advantage of the pub lunch and dinner menu.

Choose between one of 10 powered sites for $30 per night or an unpowered site for $22 per night.

There are also 14 air-conditioned single rooms available with shared amenities for those who don’t have camping facilities.

Crocodile Dundee Pub Location

The Crocodile Dundee Pub is located in McKinlay in western Queensland. The pub sits on the Landsborough Highway so you can’t miss it as you drive through town.

Crocodile Dundee Pub from…

• Mt Isa – 228 km (2 hrs 30 mins)
• Longreach – 419 km (4 hrs 22 mins)
• Townsville – 748 km (8 hrs 16 mins)
• Rockhampton – 1,106 km (11 hrs 42 mins)
• Brisbane – 1,598 km (17 hrs 40 mins)

Things to Do Near Walkabout Creek Hotel

While you’re travelling through this neck of the outback, there are some other nearby unique experiences worth checking out.

Artesian Bath Houses

Just 100 km northeast of McKinlay is the vibrant little town of Julia Creek. The experience that has put Julia Creek on the map is its iconic Artesian Bath Houses.

Nestled on the outskirts of the local caravan park are six private bath houses, which all look out across the Outback landscape, perfectly placed for viewing the spectacular sunsets.

Visitors can book a time slot to soak in a claw-footed bathtub, which will be pre-filled with steaming hot artesian water prior to your arrival. There’s also the option of ordering a Gourmet Grazing Platter to accompany your beverage of choice (BYO) and really relax in luxury.

Everything you need to know about the Artesian Baths is in the article below.

Mary Kathleen Abandoned Ghost Town & Mine

175 km west of the Crocodile Dundee Pub sits the Mary Kathleen abandoned town and uranium mine.

The township was a bustling community in the mid to late 1900’s with thousands of residents working in the adjacent mine and attending the local schools. There were shops, a bank and post office, a swimming pool, tennis courts and more.

These days you can drive the old streets of the town and even choose an empty house slab to camp on for the night for a unique Free Camping experience. Take a wander up the hill to the mine site, but don’t touch the radioactive turquoise water!

Below is everything you need to know about visiting Mary Kathleen with original photos, as well as photos of what it looks like today.

Australia’s Dinosaur Trail

You can’t go on an Outback Queensland adventure without chasing dinosaurs around the Queensland Dinosaur Trail.

The three towns of Winton, Hughenden and Richmond all form what’s known as the Dinosaur Triangle. Each of the three towns offers its own unique piece to the dinosaur trail, from museums, bones, laboratories and even an ancient preserved dinosaur stampede!

Each town offers Free or Low Cost Camping, as well as Motels for travellers to stay in throughout their Dinosaur Trail journey.

Read the full guide below covering everything you need to know.

QANTAS Founders Museum

Travellers coming in from Rockhampton or Brisbane will pass through Longreach, the gateway to the Outback. That’s where you’ll find the Qantas Founders Museum, which is the birthplace of the massive aviation giant we’ve all come to know today.

Walk out onto the wing of a Boeing 747, wander through a hangar, explore the interactive museum and get the chance to tour through a variety of planes.

OUTBACK PUB ESSENTIALS

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