🐊 40 years ago, Kakadu stole the show. On 26 September 1986, Crocodile Dundee opened in the USA.
And suddenly, millions of people around the world were getting their first glimpse of a very different Australia - rugged, wild and spectacular, with Kakadu taking centre stage.
The film became a global phenomenon, grossing more than US$174 million in the USA alone and becoming one of the biggest films of 1986. But its impact went well beyond the box office.
Following the success of Paul Hogan’s earlier “shrimp on the barbie” campaign, Crocodile Dundee helped turn international curiosity about Australia into something much bigger. American visitors grew from 159,000 in 1984 to 282,000 in 1986, and the film inspired travellers to follow in Mick Dundee’s footsteps and experience the landscapes they had seen on screen, particularly here in the Northern Territory.
And those landscapes weren't simply a backdrop.
Gunlom. Nourlangie. Ubirr. Kakadu.
They became part of the story.
Forty years on, we’re lucky enough to have the original behind-the-scenes photographs that capture a little of what happened here in 1986 - the cameras, the crew, the actors and the extraordinary landscape that became one of the stars of the film.
And perhaps that's the most remarkable part.
The landscape is still here.
The culture is still here.
The stories are still here.
Kakadu has been home to Aboriginal people for more than 65,000 years, and today its living culture and Aboriginal experiences are an increasingly important part of the reason people come here.
So, 40 years after Crocodile Dundee introduced Kakadu to a global audience, we're celebrating more than a movie.
We're celebrating the place that helped make it unforgettable. ❤️💛🖤
Happy 40th, Crocodile Dundee.
