Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve

The Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve is located 105 km south of Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, Australia and north of Alice Springs. The nearest settlement is the small town of Wauchope located to the south.The Devils Marbles are of great cultural and spiritual significance to the traditional Aboriginal owners 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. Karlu Karlu is the local Aboriginal term for both the rock features and the surrounding area. The Aboriginal term translates as round boulders and refers to the large boulders found mainly in the western side of the reserve. The origin of the English name for the same 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 The area was originally named Devils Marbles Reserve in October 1961. The name was changed to Devil's Marbles Conservation Reserve on 21 September 1979 under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act. In 1982, almost the entire reserve was registered as a sacred site by the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority.Ownership of Karlu Karlu/Devils Marbles was officially passed from the Parks and Wildlife Service of the Northern Territory back to the Traditional Owners at a ceremony held on the reserve in October 2008. The reserve is now leased back to the Parks Service under a 99 year lease and the site is jointly managed by rangers and Traditional Owners. Visitor access has not been affected. On 6 July 2011, the name Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve was assigned, corresponding with the joint management structure.