“Where’s the knife in the bar?”
That’s the question most asked of Walkabout Creek Hotel proprietors Frank and Debbie Wust, when tourists come in for a look at the iconic outback pub made famous by the movie Crocodile Dundee.
“The other thing they want to know is, which door did Mick come through?” Frank said.
After a little bit of joking they let patrons know that Paul Hogan and the other actors were actually working with a film set and that only the exterior of the then-Federal Hotel was used when the movie that has become part of Australian folklore was filmed in McKinlay.
After its opening night on April 24, 1986 Crocodile Dundee went on to be the number one Australian film at the box office, with earnings of $47.7m, and is number eight on the list of top films at the Australian box office from any country.
Frank and Debbie are leading a local charge to commemorate the 30th birthday of Crocodile Dundee this April, to bring a whole new wave of movie buffs to the outback.
With the assistance of the McKinlay Shire Council, they are planning Dundee Fest, a weekend of fun for visitors and locals alike.
While there might not be any crocodile wrestling, funding from Anglicare and FRRR will let them undertake activities such as a street parade of floats and a viewing of the movie on a big screen.
“Council asked if Paul Hogan would come out for it but apparently he won’t be in the country,” Frank Wust said. “They’re approaching some of the other actors though.”
Drawcards such as a reptile show and bush tucker survival are also planned for the April 23-24 weekend.
It comes just a week after Julia Creek’s annual Dirt’n’Dust triathlon and festival, so the sister town at McKinlay will be able to make use of the many amenities brought in for the earlier event.
Most important will be the tent city and portaloos, given that McKinlay itself is a town of only 16 people.
With Anzac Day a day after the festival, it will be the biggest weekend the town has seen for some time.
Frank and Debbie say they get overseas tourists out from Townsville travelling specifically to see the Walkabout Creek Hotel.
“You get more people from Europe than the US, which surprised us,” Debbie said.
Authentic movie memorabilia will also be on display, including Mick Dundee’s truck, which has been donated by John Cornell and family.
“His PA rang out of the blue and said he had been following our Facebook page and he’d decided to donate it to us,” Debbie explained. “We’ll definitely provide a good home for it.”
Patrons will also be able to have a beer in the film set bar that was created, thanks to its donation as well.
Nearby grazier David Moore was one of the locals who took a few days off when the movie crew rolled into town in 1985, to watch the filming.
“We were like kids – we had to be seen and not heard. We tried to keep out of the way, but they took over our pub!”
The main impression the making of the movie made on David was the amount of repetition involved.
“You don’t realise,when you see a movie, all the little takes it involves.
“Russell (Pearson) and I would think a scene had gone really well but the director would tell them to do it again.
“It was an eye-opener to everyone I think. Making a movie isn’t glamorous at all.”
The hotel was covered in special paint for the movie, to make it look older.
David said he’d been told that Americans had been asked what they thought the Australian bush consisted of in preparation for the filming, and a local trucking company was asked to drive one of his six-deck road trains for some of the scenes, “to show we don’t have kangaroos hopping down the main street”.
“It was filmed in mid-June but for the purposes of the movie it was meant to be hot,” David said.
“They had little bottles spraying moisture onto the actors.
“It can get pretty cold here in June, and as soon as the director said ‘cut’, the greatcoats would go back on again.”
