Devils Marbles – stunning Karlu Karlu boulders

Taylor Creek Camping

On the way to Devils Marbles and Mataranka, we stopped at Ti Tree. It is a typical roadhouse on the way up, with many Aboriginal people around the place.

Later on, we fueled up at Barrow Creek (population 11) and had a little surprise. There was a nice local, historic pub there and a nice lady running it as well. There is also a caravan park but we wanted to go a little bit more before stopping for the night.

When we arrived at Taylor Creek it was already 3 pm and about 12 caravans there already. We could find a spot on a sandy track among long, 50 cm grass.

This type of camping seems to be very popular and has its own unique flavour. But most of all, it’s free. Space there is limited, and after 4 pm, there is no need to look for a vacant spot, because it is so crowded. We parked in some tall grass, a bit to the side (grass was taller than our daughter Nell). The sun was setting beautifully, and next to us grew the slender Gum Trees. 

The night was quiet and the next day we drove off to see our next attraction: Devils Marbles.

These types of trees (above picture) are called “ghosts” because of their white trunks. To complete the picture, a flock of grey-pink parrots (Galahs) sat on those ghost trees and it made everything look like a movie! For such evenings we are living for… And that’s when someone turned on the generator. The spell was broken.

Taylor Creek to Newcastle Waters via Devils Marbles

The next part of our trip was still boring as Stuart Highway does not offer more than small bushes on both sides but this time we had a big attraction in the middle of the day – Devils Marbles.

Every morning we observe flocks of hawks circling the road in their pursuit of breakfast. Then, around noon, they disappear from the horizon to appear only in the late afternoon for dinner. 

Our next destination was Mataranka, a place famous for its beautiful hot springs. But it was still 680 km ahead of us and we were driving on an empty and perfectly straight Stuart Highway.

As we drive, our minds start to fill with questions:

Will there finally be a bend on the horizon to break up the monotony, or will the endless straight road continue on?

Do termites construct their mounds out of dirt or excrement?

Is the grey body passed by the side of the road a cow, or something else?

How strange termite mounds look, as the ghosts lurking behind the trees watching every move on the road.

Devils Marbles – amazing formations

Around lunch, we arrived at Devils Marbles. What a place for photographers!  

Nestled in the heart of the Australian Outback, the Devils Marbles  sit approximately 410 km north of Alice Springs and 96 km south of Tennant Creek, making it a convenient and compelling stop for travelers from around the world.

Visitors are immediately struck by the breathtaking natural beauty of the site, as enormous boulders – some as large as small cars – are scattered haphazardly across the landscape.

These remarkable geological formations have been sculpted over millions of years by the forces of wind and water, creating a stunning and unforgettable sight.

The “Marbles” are what’s left after millions of years of erosion. They rise up out of the desert scenery in an amazing display of granite – just like a natural art exhibition. Each boulder comes in a different size, ranging from between 50 centimetres to six metres across.

The Devils Marbles are now protected as a conservation reserve, ensuring that this natural wonder and its unique cultural heritage will be preserved for generations to come.

The impressive rock formations known as the Devils Marbles are also referred to as Karlu Karlu by Aboriginal people. In 2008, this breathtaking natural wonder was returned to the site’s traditional owners, who now manage and oversee the Devils Marbles. This change in ownership is a positive step forward in recognizing and respecting the deep cultural significance of the site to the Aboriginal people.

The Karlu Karlu, hold great cultural and spiritual significance for the Warumungu, Kaytetye, Alyawarra, and Warlpiri Aboriginal people. The site is believed to have been formed by ancestral spirits during the Dreamtime, and the rocks themselves are seen as sacred objects and repositories of spiritual energy. The Karlu Karlu is also an important site for traditional ceremonies and a place where knowledge is passed down from one generation to the next.

What is remarkable about Devils Marbles – many of the huge stones are balanced on top of each other, seeming to defy gravity. The day was gloomy but it was amazing to go around them and enjoy these amazing views.

After a good lunch, and a visit to this natural art gallery we were back on the road. Music was constantly murmuring in the background. Nell often protested against it, and demands her repertoire and, unfortunately, usually wins. Then we listen to the hit: “We are going to the zoo, zoo zoo. How about you, you, you”. When I really have enough of it, I put on earplugs and distance myself from the music that I cannot stand.

We will definitely remember Devils Marbles and stop there every time we are on the road between Alice Springs and Darwin.

The Red Centre – Summary

Let’s summarize our first impressions of the Red Centre, as we are already leaving it. The desert is not dry, you can see a lot of animals and birds on the way. Aboriginal people do not make a good impression (alcohol problems), and the free campsites have a fantastic atmosphere. It is worth driving a few thousand kilometres and observing it all as a tourist. However, I would not like to live here. 

An interesting fact is that you can meet a police patrol that is in the middle of nowhere, far from a liquor store or any civilization and they will stop you and check your alcohol intake level. It happened to us today and we were quite shocked.

I hope next time when we are here we visit the glorious Uluru, Kings Canyon and West MacDonnells.

Newcastle Waters free camping and stunning sunset

After 400 km and catching the last free place on a free campsite, we were lucky again. We stopped at Newcastle Waters. It is a very small free site camping, so far the smallest we visited.

We set up and enjoyed this beautiful Australian sunset.

Sunsets in Australia are remarkable, and this one was really spectacular. The sun illuminated the clouds from below with pink and orange rays, and at the same time the moon majestically appeared out on the horizon … 

In the background, we could hear music from the 1950s (silver foxes know their music). It would be a great relaxation, unfortunately, Marius with Nell went for a walk and disappeared. When two hours passed by, I went on a rescue mission (a satellite phone in one hand, a bandage in the other), but it turned out that there were 3 camper vans away! They have caught up with people from Brisbane who, like us, have sold their house and are travelling around the block. Their children are older than Nell and have to learn over the Internet. It’s good our daughter is three years old, school is out of the picture yet.

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Daly Waters – Famous Pub

We had an early wake up at 5 am. Our fellow travellers started to leave Newcastle Waters campsite one by one, heading to Port Augusta and Darwin (most of them headed north). We were on our way at 8.30 am. Today we have to make only 260 km. We will be gradually slowing down as we finally managed to get away from winter and the temperature jumped to 28-32 degrees. Finally… 

In these warm and sunny circumstances, we noticed that the nature around us has changed dramatically. We can observe big trees, ponds of water and lots of birds. Hawks are more and more often replaced by huge eagles with a wingspan of up to 2 meters. They look phenomenal circling over the road where they can find a lot of run over kangaroos.

For lunch, we stopped at Daly Waters. However, the price of diesel discouraged us from refuelling. The prices are so sky-high because the fuel is transported by road trains from Port Augusta (approx. 2000km) and yet the port of Darwin is only 600 km away.

The main attraction in Daily Waters is the famous pub, which is decorated throughout with banknotes and other items left by visitors from every corner of the globe. 

Locals have a specific type of humour and we used it on our daughter asking if we should go to McDonald’s for lunch… Let’s put it this way – she was not impressed with our sense of humour when she saw “this McDonalds”.

Then, we had a close encounter with a hawk that didn’t end well for it. The bird suddenly sat a few meters away in front of our car. We tried to avoid it, but it was too close, nothing could be done … Four and a half tones are hard to stop immediately.

Enjoy outdoors with Tentworld equipment