The Devils Marbles Information

An enigmatic place of breathtaking scenic beauty the precarious piles of huge granite boulders wide open.

The devils marbles information.

Formed over millions of years they continue to crack and erode making for a unique view each time you visit. The formation of the devils marbles are a result of the erosion of the sandstone on top of granite which was formed millions of years ago due to the hardening of magma within the earth s crust which the marbles are made up of. The devils marbles are known as karlu karlu in all four local aboriginal languages. Yet the classic photo of two giant rounded boulders in the vast arid landscape hardly does justice to an area that.

This remarkable site is a sacred place to aboriginal traditional owners. The devils marbles or karlu karlu as they are known by the local warumungu aboriginals are a collection of huge red rounded granite boulders. These giant rocks have been around for millions of years and are now a well known australian attraction visited by many tourists every year. Actually they vary in size from 50 cm up to six metres across and they are strewn across a large area.

Discover the iconic karlu karlu devils marbles believed by the warmungu aboriginal people to be the fossilised eggs of the rainbow serpent. These gigantic boulders have become an internationally recognised symbol of australia s outback and are spectacular when the light of the morning and evening sun highlights their deep red colour. The devils marbles are a symbol of the outback in australia and across the world. The nearest settlement is the small town of wauchope located 9 km 5 6 mi to the south.

These giant boulders aren t just rocks but they are the meeting place of four different language groups. The devils marbles are a sacred site known as karlu karlu in the language of the traditional owners the warumungu people. The devils marbles are a collection of massive granite boulders strewn across a valley south of tennant creek. The folding of the earth s crust lead to the lifting of the granite and the erosion of the sandstone after the granite came to the surface pressure was lost and the granite expanded causing cracks to form and fall apart in large square blocks.

This includes alyawarre kayteye warumunga and the warlpiri people. Karlu karlu devils marbles conservation reserve is a protected area in the northern territory of australia located in the locality of warumungu about 105 km 65 mi south of tennant creek and 393 km 244 mi north of alice springs. Standing at up to 6 metres high and formed over millions of years they continue to crack and change. The people of warumungu call the devils marbles karlu karlu as it means round boulders.

Take your time to explore the region s most famous landmark.