Descriptions of the adult Buckley vary. According to John Helder Wedge, who met him in 1835, 'with his long, matted hair, he was a most awfully savage-looking fellow, standing in height without shoes, erect in person, and well proportioned'. When Buckley appeared at their camp, James Gumm out of curiosity measured him as or . Buckley himself records his height as being . John Pascoe Fawkner, who was also at Sullivan Bay when he was 11 years old, states that Buckley's height was . According to George Russell who met him near the Yarra River in 1836, Buckley stood tall, but numerous other heights are reported, ranging from to .