Kakadu Tourism has released a self-guided tour tracing filming locations from Crocodile Dundee, marking 40 years since the film’s US debut on 26 September 1986 helped drive a surge in international visitors to Australia.
Film linked to doubling of inbound tourism
Crocodile Dundee grossed $174.8 million at the US box office, becoming the second-highest grossing film in America in 1986 behind Top Gun. Following the film’s release and its 1988 sequel, Australia’s inbound tourism grew from 904,558 international visitors in 1980 to 2.14 million by 1990, with American visitor numbers rising from 113,964 to 251,500 over the same period. Tourism Australia’s Consumer Demand Project (June 2024) found Crocodile Dundee remains the most spontaneously recalled film or TV show set in Australia among prospective travellers, underscoring its long-term influence on destination choice.
Kakadu Tourism chair Lauren Ganley said the film’s landscape and cultural depth had shaped its lasting appeal.
“Crocodile Dundee introduced some of Australia’s most spectacular outback locations – such as the Gunlom waterfall and infinity rock pools and the Nourlangie and Ubirr rock art sites – to the world and created such a positive impression of the country that it helped transform Australian tourism to one of our most dynamic industries,” Ganley said.
Self-guided tour launched alongside media famil
Kakadu Tourism has produced a self-guided tour covering locations from the first two Crocodile Dundee films, available via its website. The organisation recently hosted a media familiarisation visit with Tourism and Events Northern Territory, showcasing the film’s key locations, with participating travel writers also able to speak with Delvene Delaney, wife of the film’s writer and producer John Cornell, who produced an Encore Cut of the film last year.
Ganley said growth in Aboriginal-owned tourism businesses had become an increasingly important part of the region’s visitor appeal, alongside government investment in road and park infrastructure supporting access to Kakadu’s main attractions. The film will screen at Darwin’s Deckchair Cinema on Saturday 26 September.
