Devils Marbles (Karlu Karlu)

Huge Red Granite Boulders Balanced And Scattered Across A Shallow Valley On The Stuart Highway South Of Tennant Creek, Sacred To The Warumungu And Other Local Aboriginal Groups As Karlu Karlu, At Their Most Striking At Sunrise And Sunset · Wauchope, Northern Territory

Devils Marbles, known to the Warumungu and neighbouring Aboriginal groups as Karlu Karlu, is a scatter of huge rounded granite boulders spread across a shallow valley beside the Stuart Highway, about 100 kilometres south of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory's remote centre. Some boulders rest in isolation on the open plain, others balance in precarious-looking stacks two or three high, and a handful are split cleanly in two as if cut with a single blow, the result of millions of years of granite weathering rather than anything deliberate. The site is sacred to the Warumungu and other local Aboriginal groups and is jointly managed as a conservation reserve with input from traditional owners. Most people stop for an hour on the long drive along the Stuart Highway, walking the short trails among the boulders respectfully rather than climbing on them, with sunrise and sunset the two times the red granite glows most strikingly against the flat surrounding scrub. A basic free campground on site makes an overnight stop here a memorable way to break up a long outback drive.

On the Stuart Highway, about 100 km south of Tennant Creek, Wauchope, Northern Territory, Australia

The reserve has no gates and the walking trails among the boulders are open around the clock, with sunrise and sunset widely considered the best times to visit for both light and cooler temperatures. There is no visitor centre or staffed entry point, and no entry fee to walk the trails. The basic campground on site has no bookings and no power, water or phone reception, run on a small per-person camping fee paid into an honesty box, and sites are first come, first served with no guarantee of space on a busy night. Some specific boulder groups are fenced or signed as culturally sensitive and off-limits to climbing or close approach - these signs apply year-round and are not a seasonal restriction.

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