What can you do at the Devils Marbles?
The fascinating geological marvel can be explored through a short self-guided walking trail with informative signage. The Karlu Karlu/Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve offers a scenic bush camping area with fireplaces. Stay the night to ensure you’re there at sunset, the most dramatic time to experience the area.
What is special about Devils Marbles?
The Devils Marbles are of great cultural and spiritual significance to the traditional Aboriginal owners (Ree) of the land, and the reserve protects one of the oldest religious sites in the world as well as the natural rock formations found there. The area was originally named Devils Marbles Reserve in October 1961.
What Devils Marbles look like?
The Devils Marbles – or Karlu Karlu as they are known by the local Warumungu Aboriginals – are a collection of huge, red, rounded granite boulders. Actually, they vary in size, from 50 cm up to six metres across, and they are strewn across a large area.
Why should you visit Karlu Karlu?
The Devils Marbles are a sacred site known as Karlu Karlu in the language of the traditional owners the Warumungu people. Formed over millions of years, they continue to crack and erode making for a unique view each time you visit. Take your time to explore the region’s most famous landmark.
Is it safe to camp at Devils Marbles?
Devils Marbles is a great place to camp and my family does so often when heading up or down the track. Can get very hot on summer nights though as heat re-radiates from the rocks. Get up early and take some stunning, soft orange light photos that will impress anyone.
Can you climb the Devils Marbles?
The area was returned to the traditional owner’s care in a historic ceremony in 2008. The Devils Marbles are open for the public every day of the year. Though there is not legal ban, the traditional owners request that visitors do not climb the boulders.
Can dogs go to Devils Marbles?
pets are permitted in the day-use carpark only and must be on a lead. pets are not permitted in the campground. generators are not permitted.
How was Devils Marbles formed?
Geologically, the marbles were formed from an upsurge of molten rock that cooled and became solid beneath a layer of sandstone. Over time, water infiltrated the cracks breaking down the sandstone, and then the granite. As a result, rounded granite boulders perched on top of each other have been revealed.
How was Devils Marbles made?
How old are the Devils Marbles?
1500 million years ago
Formed over 1500 million years ago, the Karlu Karlu/Devils Marbles defy gravity.
How did Devils Marbles get its name?
The term Devils Marbles came from John Ross, a Scottish-Australian explorer who led a team surveying the area for the Overland Telegraph Line in 1870. He said: “This is the devil’s country; he’s even emptied his bag of marbles around the place.”
Are the Devils Marbles igneous?
The Devil’s Marbles started life nearly 2 billion years ago as the magma cooled in the Earth’s crust to form the igneous rock granite. On top of the granite, a thick sedimentary layer of sandstone formed that compressed the granite under its immense weight.
What to see and do at Devils Marbles?
For a relatively small Reserve, the Devils Marbles also has some remarkable wildlife, plants, birds and even a very special species of land crab. Some early morning birdwatching on the western side of the Stuart Highway, near the small creek after rain is a must if you’re a birder.
Where are the Devils Marbles in northern Australia?
The Devils Marbles: an Ancient Aboriginal Meeting Point 1 Naming the Devils Marbles. The Devils Marbles are located within the Karlu Karlu/Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, 105 kilometres (65 miles) south of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory. 2 A sacred Aboriginal site. 3 The Devils Marbles.
Who was arrange in the Devils Marbles Reserve?
‘Arrange’ was an ancient ancestor who made a hair belt, which is a traditional accessory only worn by initiated Aboriginal men. When he twirled the hair to make the belt, clusters were dropped on the ground, which became the boulders. He also spat on the ground, which formed the reserve’s central boulders.
Are there any campsites near the Devils Marbles?
There are several other accommodation options near the Devils Marbles, such as Wauchope (paid, nice roadhouse campground, only 15km south) and Bonney Well (free roadside campsite – about 5km north of the Marbles).
