Charlie the Buffalo.

The story

Charlie wasn't a Big Thing in the conventional sense — he was a real water buffalo, 27 years old at death, who lived next door to a pub in the Northern Territory and once starred in the most-watched Australian film of the 1980s. After his death in 2000 he was taxidermied and now stands at the bar of the Adelaide River Inn, where road-trippers and Crocodile Dundee fans come to pay their respects. He's the most unusual entry on any Big Things list — and one of the most photographed.

Charlie was found as an orphaned calf in 1974, during one of the systematic feral-buffalo culls that the Northern Territory ran across the 1970s and 1980s. Feral water buffalo had been introduced to the Top End in the 19th century and grown into a destructive ecological problem; tens of thousands were shot. Charlie was rescued, raised at a zoo, and grew up domesticated — unusual for a buffalo.

In 1985, when Paul Hogan and director Peter Faiman were filming Crocodile Dundee in the Top End, they needed a buffalo for one of the film's signature scenes — the moment Mick Dundee "hypnotises" a wild buffalo to the ground, convincing reporter Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski) that his outback skills are real. They couldn't use a genuinely wild buffalo for safety reasons. They needed a tame one. They cast Charlie.

The scene was filmed and the film was released in 1986. It became the highest-grossing Australian film of all time and one of the most successful international releases ever made in this country. Charlie became an accidental celebrity. After filming wrapped, he was retired to the Adelaide River Inn, where the publican kept him in a paddock behind the pub. He had his own wallowing hole, plenty of adoring fans, and (according to one widely repeated story) developed a taste for beer.

"Charlie was one of the family. We became very attached to him. He's coming back to greet our customers." — Ian Cobb, publican of the Adelaide River Inn, on commissioning Charlie's taxidermy in 2001

Charlie died in 2000, aged 27, from pneumonia. The Adelaide River Inn, where he'd lived for fifteen years, organised his taxidermy with the help of a Top End specialist. The process took the better part of a year. By 2001, Charlie had moved from the paddock behind the pub to a permanent position at the bar inside — head up, eyes alert, full natural posture. There he's stood for nearly 25 years, quietly serving as the unofficial mascot of the Adelaide River Inn and the most-photographed taxidermy specimen in the Northern Territory.

Visiting Charlie

Charlie is at the 303 Bar of the Adelaide River Inn, 112 kilometres south of Darwin on the Stuart Highway. Adelaide River is on the main road south from Darwin toward Kakadu and Katherine, so it's a natural stop for almost any Top End road trip. Entry to the bar is free; the courtesy is to buy a drink while you're there. The bar opens from 7:00am (for breakfast) until late.

What's at the site

• Charlie himself — taxidermied buffalo, on permanent display at the 303 Bar. The most-photographed real-buffalo-turned-Big-Thing in Australia.
• The 303 Bar — full-service country pub, named after the .303 rifle. Cold beer, walls covered in pub memorabilia, friendly Territory atmosphere.
• Diggers Bistro — adjacent dining room. Old-country-style favourites alongside more modern Australian pub fare. Barramundi recommended.
• Beer garden — 100-seat undercover outdoor area plus a large grassed beer garden, perfect for hot Top End afternoons.
• Tourist park — caravan and camping sites, motel rooms, cabins, swimming pool. Popular base for Litchfield National Park and Kakadu day trips.
• Adelaide River War Cemetery — 1km away, the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the NT. Bombing of Darwin (1942) burial site.

Charlie's film legacy

Crocodile Dundee (1986) was directed by Peter Faiman, written by Paul Hogan, John Cornell, and Ken Shadie, and starred Paul Hogan as Mick Dundee alongside Linda Kozlowski as American reporter Sue Charlton. Made on an estimated A$10 million budget, it earned over US$300 million at the global box office — at the time, the most successful Australian film ever made. It introduced international audiences to bush-Australian culture and gave Paul Hogan a permanent place in Hollywood folklore.

Charlie's scene comes about a third of the way through the film, when Sue and Mick are out in the Top End and encounter what appears to be a dangerous wild buffalo on the track. Mick raises his hand in a calming gesture, the buffalo dropping to the ground in apparent hypnosis — proving to Sue that the outback legends about him are true. The scene is barely 30 seconds long but is one of the film's most-remembered moments. Behind the scenes, Charlie was extensively trained to lie down on command.

What else is nearby

Adelaide River sits between Darwin and the entrance to Kakadu National Park, an easy and natural stop on any Top End drive. After Charlie, easy add-ons include the Adelaide River War Cemetery (1km, largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the NT), Litchfield National Park (90 minutes west, with its famous waterfalls and termite mounds), and the entrance to Kakadu (1 hour east). See our full Darwin & Top End travel guide for the comprehensive itinerary.

For other Big Things, the closest is the Big Boxing Crocodile at Humpty Doo (1 hour north on the Stuart Highway), the Big Jumping Crocodile (in the Adelaide River area), and the Big Stubbie at Larrimah (4 hours south on the Stuart Highway).

Trivia worth knowing

• Charlie was an orphaned calf rescued during 1974 NT feral-buffalo culls, then raised at a zoo before being cast in Crocodile Dundee in 1985.
• The "hypnotism" scene in Crocodile Dundee (1986) was filmed with Charlie playing a wild buffalo. He was extensively trained to drop to the ground on command.
• After filming, Charlie was retired to the Adelaide River Inn where he lived in a paddock with his own wallowing hole for fifteen years.
• Charlie died in 2000, aged 27, from pneumonia. Owner Ian Cobb commissioned taxidermy to preserve his legacy.
• Since 2001, Charlie has stood at the bar of the 303 Bar at the Adelaide River Inn — making him one of the most unusual entries on any Big Things list.
• Crocodile Dundee earned over US$300 million worldwide and was, at the time of release, the highest-grossing Australian film of all time. Charlie was paid in hay.
• The Adelaide River Inn itself has operated since 1874, making it considerably older than Charlie's celebrity status.

When to visit

The Top End has two seasons: the Dry (May to October — warm, sunny, comfortable, easy travel) and the Wet (November to April — hot, humid, with afternoon thunderstorms and occasional Stuart Highway flooding). The Dry is the recommended time for any Top End travel; the Wet is dramatic but more challenging logistically. Adelaide River Inn is open year-round but quieter in the Wet. Visit Charlie any time during opening hours; he's not going anywhere.