Rolling down the Stuart Highway after a long day on the road, I was glad to pull into the Adelaide River Inn.

Perched about 112km south of Darwin and 200km north of Katherine, it’s a welcome sight for travellers chasing fuel, food or just a cold beer. The bonus? There’s a caravan park out the back, so you can camp up without leaving the action. That’s exactly what I did – grabbed a site and set about exploring what makes this pub one of the best-known stops in the Top End.

Adelaide River Inn vibes

The place is buzzing. Trucks rumble in, tourists spill out of 4x4s and locals drift across from nearby properties.

The 303 Bar and Bistro sits at the heart of it all – air-conditioned and lined with Territory memorabilia. Out back, the beer garden sprawls with shaded tables, a small kids’ playground and the familiar clack of a pool table. Open daily from 9am to 10pm, it’s the kind of place where you can settle in and feel part of the flow straight away.

Inside the front bar stands the pub’s most famous resident – Charlie the buffalo, immortalised in Crocodile Dundee. He’s still pulling a crowd decades after his big-screen debut.

But Charlie isn’t the only giant here. The Inn is also home to Jock the croc – a five-metre, 720kg saltie who once terrorised boats around Borroloola. He eventually met his match and has since been preserved, taking pride of place as another reminder that in the NT, nature always calls the shots.

By late afternoon, the beer garden fills with chatter as Happy Hour rolls around – schooners $6.50 and house wine $4.50 from 5pm to 6pm (at the time of writing) – with live entertainment keeping the vibe going. A steady crowd gathers for “Jag the Joker”, a daily punt where tickets are $2 each or six for $10. Add in Keno flickering in the background and the atmosphere feels like a mix of pub, carnival and country gathering.

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The drinks list is extensive, with a solid range of beers on tap, a decent spread of spirits, and plenty of ready-to-drink cans, stubbies and wines. Nothing fancy – just the kind of selection that ensures no one goes thirsty.

I made the rookie mistake of ordering the Barra Burger for lunch. It sounded promising – a fillet of barramundi with lettuce, tomato, beetroot, onion, cheese and aioli, all stacked in a bun with chunky seasoned chips on the side. Unfortunately, it missed the mark. I’d expected a battered fillet but instead got a grilled one that didn’t hold together. Throw in some odd melted cheese and the whole thing quickly fell apart.

Dinner was a different story. I went back to basics and ordered the Premium Scotch Fillet – about 300g of MSA-grade beef, cooked perfectly medium-rare and served with pepper sauce, salad and chunky chips. It was everything you’d want from a Territory pub feed: big, juicy and satisfying after a long day. Lesson learned – when in doubt, stick with the classics.

If you’re more adventurous, the menu’s got a couple of NT specialties worth a go. The Wild Caught Territory Beef Burger is seasoned with native bush spices, while the Territory Croc Burger serves up a patty of 100 per cent croc meat topped with creamy aioli. When in the Top End, why not lean into the local flavour?

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Stay and camp on Stuart Hwy

Camping out the back was simple but spot-on for what I needed.

The caravan park offers a range of accommodation options plus powered and unpowered sites, hot showers, shade and even a pool to wash away the red dust. After a long, hot day on the road, that pool was pure bliss. You can’t book a site here – it’s first come, first served.

The caravan park also features clean amenities and laundry facilities, including coin-operated washing machines and dryers. Two covered camp kitchens with free barbecues are available if you’d rather cook your own than dine at the hotel.

The Adelaide River Inn offers a range of accommodation options to suit different budgets – from fully self-contained ensuite cabins to renovated motel rooms and air-conditioned ensuite budget rooms – all within easy walking distance of the hotel.

My Alu-Cab Canopy Camper made it easy: roll in, fuel up, grab a bite, have a drink and settle in for the night without moving the rig again. By morning, I was recharged and ready to continue north along the Stuart Highway after grabbing a couple of bacon-and-egg toasted sangas from the servo.

Why stop at Adelaide River Inn

The Adelaide River Inn isn’t just a pub – it’s a slice of the Territory; part watering hole, part tourist stop, part history lesson and part local hang-out.

It’s where Charlie the buffalo and Jock the croc remind you that the NT is like nowhere else. It’s where a cold schooner at Happy Hour tastes even better after a long drive. And it’s where travellers like you can camp, eat and have a yarn before heading back out onto the Stuart.

Sure, skip the barra burger – but don’t miss the steak, the beer garden or the buzz of the place. The Adelaide River Inn has well and truly earned its reputation as one of the great Top End pubs.

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Essential facts

  • Location: 106 Stuart Highway, Adelaide River, NT
  • Phone: (08) 8976 7047
  • Web: www.adelaideriverinntouristpark.com.au
  • Beers on tap: XXXX Gold, Carlton Dry, Heineken, James Squire Ginger Beer, James Squire Lashes Pale Ale, Stone & Wood Pacific Ale, Byron Bay Brewery Alcoholic Lemon Squash, Byron Bay Brewery Premium Lager, Hahn Super Dry Low Carb, Hahn Super Dry 3.5, Great Northern Super Crisp and VB.
  • Food highlights: Steak Sanga, Chicken Parmy, Wild Caught Territory Barramundi (pan grilled or beer-battered), 303 Bar Beef Burger, Territory Croc Burger, Wild Caught Territory Buffalo Burger, Premium Scotch Fillet, Wagyu Rump, Barbecue Pork Ribs, Boss Drover Bangers & Mash, Fish & Chips, Grilled Calamari, Kids’ Meals, Daily Specials Board.
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