The Devils Marbles are one of the world's oldest religious sites, protecting an area of great significance to the Aboriginal traditional owners, featuring large, round boulders made of granite strewn across more than 18km².
We're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). I first visited Australia in 2019, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport. This time, with the freedom of our campervan, we're trying to hit the lesser known spots and go slower.
For thousands of years, the Alyawarre people lived on this land, long before any Europeans arrived, calling it Karlu Karlu meaning "round boulders".
The first Europeans to visit the area were led by John Ross during the 1870 Australian Overland Telegraph Line expedition who named the area based on his view that:
This is Devil's country; he's even emptied his bag of marbles around the place!
The area was made a reserve in 1961 and later registered as a sacred site by the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority in 1982. Parks and Wildlife returned ownership to the Alyawarre people in 2008 who leased it back to Parks and Wildlife under a 99-year lease so that the reserve can be jointly managed.
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Useful Information for the Devils Marbles
Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to the Devils Marbles. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. At the Devils Marbles, the traditional language of the Alywarre people is Alyawarr.
→ Learn more about the language of the Alywarre people.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data/WiFi: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.
→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.
If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.
We travel with a Starlink in our campervan which enables us to have unlimited WiFi wherever we are, even in places without coverage.
There happens to be a free WiFi hotspot right at the Devils Marbles, too!
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round. The Devils Marbles are in the Northern Territory which can get very hot during the summer, so I recommend visiting from April to September.
Length of stay: Depending on how much hiking you want to do (there are a few different trails), you need just a few hours to explore the Devils Marbles. We visited on our way south from Darwin and Katherine heading towards Alice Springs. If you want to stay longer, there is also a nice paid campground at the Devils Marbles.
How to Get to the Devils Marbles
By flight: The closest airport to the Devils Marbles is in Alice Springs, three and a half hours south, with connections to Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Sydney and Tennant Creek.
→ Rent a car at Alice Springs Airport.
If you don't want to drive, you can take a coach from Alice Springs to Wauchope; see the "by coach" section below.
By car: If you're driving around the country as we are in our campervan, then the easiest way to get to the Devils Marbles is with your own wheels. The most popular way of exploring Australia is by camping - whether with a motorhome, campervan, caravan or a roof tent on top of a car. This gives you the ultimate freedom of going as fast or as slow as you like.
By coach: Greyhound runs long distance coaches around Australia with a stop in Wauchope (in front of the Devils Marbles Hotel) that is about 9km south of Devils Marbles. If you don't have a vehicle, you could make it an adventure by checking into the hotel and then borrowing a bike to head up to the Devils Marbles the next morning.
Driving down the Stuart Highway
Where to Stay Near the Devils Marbles
Hotel: There is just one hotel on this stretch of the Stuart Highway, the aptly-named Devils Marbles Hotel. For being in the middle of nowhere, they've got it all - campsites, cabins and rooms, as well as a restaurant and swimming pool! A real oasis in the outback and just 9km from the Devils Marbles themselves.
→ Book your stay at the Devils Marbles Hotel.
Camping: We are driving "the lap" around Australia, exploring the country in our campervan. The best way to find camping spots is to use an app. We use Wikicamps Australia, a cheap app that has every single amenity listed (both free and paid) that you might need on the road. This includes things like where to fill up fresh water, where to dump grey water, where to empty toilets, where to stay, gas stations, information points and also has suggestions for things to do as you go.
→ Download the Wikicamps Australia app.
There is a paid campground right at the Devils Marbles so you can sleep next to the incredible rock formations. This site is operated by Parks and Wildlife Northern Territory in partnership with the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land. You must book in advance and pay online as there is no method to pay on site.
We chose to stay at a free campground nearby. The WW2 Barrow Creek Staging Camp is not much more than a patch of red earth with concrete slabs to park up on but for those of us who are traveling in self-contained vehicles, it was perfect. It was quiet, spacious and level for parking.
The Best Coffee Near the Devils Marbles
Tennant Creek is a tiny town on the Stuart Highway which stretches between Darwin and Adelaide crossing the entire country from north to south.
You might not expect much from this town but you absolutely must stop in to the Bay Leaf Cafe. They do some of the best coffee in the Northern Territory, plus all their cabinet food looked absolutely delicious. A must-stop on any Stuart Highway roadtrip!
Visiting the Devils Marbles
The Devils Marbles are one of the world's oldest religious sites, protecting an area of great significance to the Aboriginal traditional owners, featuring large, round boulders made of granite strewn across more than 18km². The Alyawarre people are the traditional owners of this land; their name for the Devils Marbles is Karlu Karlu meaning "round boulders".
The first Europeans to visit the area were led by John Ross during the 1870 Australian Overland Telegraph Line expedition who named the area based on his view that:
This is Devil's country; he's even emptied his bag of marbles around the place!
The area was made a reserve in 1961 and later registered as a sacred site by the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority in 1982. Parks and Wildlife returned ownership to the Alyawarre people in 2008 who leased it back to Parks and Wildlife under a 99-year lease so that the reserve can be jointly managed.
There are five different walking trails through the Devils Marbles depending on how long you'd like to explore the area:
- Karlu Karlu Walk - 400 metres, 20 minutes
- Mayijangu Walk - 800 metres, 30 minutes
- Nyanjiki Lookout - 350 metres, 20 minutes
- Yakkula Walk - 1.5km, 30 minutes
- Nurrku Walk - 4km, 1.5 hours
There are certain areas that are not permitted to be photographed and other areas not to be visited at all out of respect to the Aboriginal traditional owners. Please follow all posted signs.
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
