Devils Marbles

We’ve packed up super early this morning from Katherine Gorge and hit the road to make some distance. Our original plan was to split the distance to Alice Springs and stay at Banka Banka Station tonight, a 602km drive. We stayed at Banka Banka on the way up in May and got eaten by flies. Remember Jen wearing her fly and mozzie net over her head and face. So we decide to keep going and give the aeroguard a rest.

DRIVE: Katherine Gorge to The Devils Marbles (798km).

We push on to reach The Devils Marbles about 100km south of Tennant Creek to see sunset and wake up to a colourful sunrise. So our distance is 800km door to door inclusive of a 2km detour. Its dead quiet for traffic heading our way south and busy with a procession of migrating caravans heading north for the warmth. People look at us as if we are mad, travelling south at this time of the year, you’ve lost ya marbles... i just thought of that one so snook it in.

On our way, we stop at Daly Waters, a famous pub just off the Stuart Highway (2km), a couple of hours south of Katherine. It’s a crazy place with trophy bras draping everywhere, thongs hanging from rope lines, tee shirts, hats, old car number plates, you name it, people have likely left it here. What is it with human behaviour? I think the aliens saw this place and decided to hyperspace the hell out of here... It quite a fun place actually if you like that sort of thing. There’s interesting people from all walks of life who come here to stay in the caravan park just for the pub. Check out the petrol station across the road from the pub.

We order a refreshment at the bar, drink it quick like and hyperspace the hell out of here. (not great English on porpoise, it sets the scene well).

There’s plenty of petrol stops every 150-200km on our way south so we fuel up when we need it.

We pass Banka Banka Station which looks busy, then Three Ways intersection and find ourselves on unchartered bitumen and 30km to Tennant Creek. Rumour has it that Tennant Creek is the only place in Australia where it’s advised to leave ya engine running whilst filling up with petrol? So we fill up and get the hell out a there too.

CAMP: The Devils Marbles / 1 Night

Another 113km of lazer straight road and we arrive at The Devils Marbles and roll in at 4.45pm, an hour and a bit before sunset. There’s a camping site here, a place to stop over for the night and well, everyone’s stopping over. it’s more like a parking lot and the place is jam packed with caravans, tents and even people sleeping on the dirt and gravel. I know it’s a bit late but there must be a spot for us. We drive a loop and it looks grim, then i spot a narrow slot between a few dividing posts and a caravan. Basically we have squeezed in on a spot that has a fire pit in it and we are parked right next to the fire pit. Hope no one starts a fire here tonight otherwise we will be up in smoke.

The Devils Marbles are a collection of huge, red, rounded granite boulders. This place is quite surreal and out of this world. The boulders have been calved by nature over millions of years into hundreds of roundish marbles 360 degrees as far as the eye can see. it’s a magical backdrop for a setting sun and the shadows and colours amongst the marbles create quite an atmosphere. The sky is devoid of clouds, just fading blue sky, dark red rock, green spinifex and a falling orange sun.

This is a sacred Aboriginal site known by the local Warumungu Aboriginals as Karlu Karlu and there are many culturally sensitive areas in and around what we call the Devils Marbles.

So why the Devils Marbles?. Well the marble bit is straight forward as the ancient round granite rocks look like marbles, but the devil... The origin of the English name for the boulders is the following quote:

This is the Devil’s country; he’s even emptied his bag of marbles around the place! - John Ross, Australian Overland Telegraph Line expedition, 1870. Devils Marbles it is then.

We take a walk and follow many a well trodden path that leads through the marbles. Some of the landscape is easy to climb up on for a better vantage point offering spectacular views.

Another great sunset to cherish as we watch the marbles turn from warm ocre to dark red, then black.

It’s time for dinner. The campsite doesn’t have tap water and it’s BYO. We have very little water left so I empty my drink bottle into a pan to cook some potatoes to go with chicken kiev. It’s a desperate situation, we are forced to replace water with red wine to drink and I know it sounds extravagant but we will have to wash the dishes with... soda water.

We are in the Northern Territory and in NT, you can buy fireworks and set them off, unlike other states where it’s illegal. From behind a caravan in the camp comes a rocket and a loud bang followed by short bursts of fireworks and cheers from the kids. Obviously dad has spared no expense buying his stash of fireworks and the show is greatly appreciated by all, all be it a little scattered in between setting off fireworks as he manually lights them.

I hope the fireworks haven’t woken up the spirits and messed with the devil. We could all be turned into stone (marbles) by the night’s end.

Tired from driving, it’s an early night but now that we have made distance, we can hang around in the morning and explore the Devils Marbles some more.

One by one, the open fires die out, caravan lights are turned off, the place is deathly silent and wow, there’s a billion stars in the night sky.

Its eerily quiet, like all the people in their caravans have been taken (empty) and the place has no sound and no signs of life. Except at about midnight, there’s sounds breaking the silence coming from a number of cars close by. The black Kites have risen and someone’s out there trying their luck to find an unlocked car door. I see a flash light too so i get up and stand in the darkness shining my torch to rat them out. It goes deadly silent once more...Read more