We called in to see Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles on our way from Barrow Creek to Tennant Creek. They are an incredible natural spectacle. You first see them from a distance and then as you get closer they become more and more unbelievable.

Split By A Giant

About Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles

Karlu Karlu are massive granite boulders sit balanced on top of other eroded granite boulders. It looks as if they have been put there by a playful, mystical giant millions of years ago. The outcrops are scattered across a wide valley.

How Did That Get Up There?

Set in the lands of the traditional owners the Warumungu people the Devils Marbles are a sacred site known as Karlu Karlu in the language of the Warumungu. They were formed over millions of years.

The devils Marbles are continuing to crack and erode. Chances are high the next time you visit you will see something different.

Going For A walk Amongst The Devils Marbles

We spent over an hour wandering amongst the Devils Marbles at the first parking area you come to on the left. A track winds it way around them and there are many times that you just have to stop and look and wonder how on earth that particular one was formed.

Amanda – Is This The Devil?

At times you look at a boulder on top of another boulder and you think to yourself yeah nah that one’s going to fall off and roll down and squash us any second now so you move on a bit to get out of the way. The walk is very easy. It’s nice and flat and the path is very well formed.

Camping At Karlu Karlu

Karlu Karlu/Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve offers bush camping with fireplaces. Stay overnight so you can see the area at sunset the most dramatic time of day. Camping fees apply and campsites must be reserved online ahead of time.

Perched On Top

Getting To Karlu Karlu

Karlu Karlu is 100km south of Tennant Creek just off the Stuart Highway.

Framed Like A Window

Barrow Creek Hotel Free Camping was a really great experience for us. We visited Barrow Creek Hotel and free camped at an awesome place just down the road at Matts Quarry. Barrow Creek Hotel is one of those iconic outback pubs you just have to visit and experience.

Inside Barrow Creek Hotel

Barrow Creek Hotel is more than a bit run down these days but it certainly didn’t detract from the experience. In fact I reckon it probably added to it. If you are looking for a gourmet lunch and beer on tap then give it a miss. If on the other hand you are looking for a real experience in a struggling old pub then call in. Meals aren’t available at the moment due to the cook doing a runner and replacement staff aren’t exactly beating a path to the door. You do have your choice of microwaved Mrs Macs pies and sausage rolls. Depending upon when the supply truck last called through. As for beer we watched as old mate undid the two padlocks on the fridge door and gazed in wonderment ant the vast selection of – yeah well we had a XXXX Gold! It was nice and cold though so it had that going for it at least. What exactly goes down in a place where the publican has to padlock the beer fridge during open hours does get you thinking.

Barrow Creek Hotel

Fuel is available at Barrow Creek and the price given the current climate was not too bad. And to add to the whole yesteryear thing they have going on old mate the publican also doubles as the fuel attendant. After filling up he wanders out to the pump to check out how much you’ve used. None of that modern day straight to the console swipe your card and you’re on your way at Barrow Creek Hotel! I loved it. It’s how things used to be.

Outside Barrow Creek Hotel

I highly recommend you call in to Barrow Creek Hotel. Probably not if your last name is Falconio but then that’s a whole different story for some other time. Actually there are a few books and a mini series on what went down with Peter Falconio not too far from the Barrow Creek Hotel. Let’s just say that Peter Falconio has likely been at Barrow Creek Hotel Free Camping or somewhere nearby for quite a length of time. We had a bit of a poke around but he was nowhere to be seen.

Free Camping At Matts Quarry Near Barrow Creek

We pulled up stumps for the day and free camped at Matts Quarry a few minutes north of Barrow Creek on the Stuart Highway. Set your trip meter when you leave the hotel and head north. At the 1.2km mark look to your right and you will see a track heading off in to the scrub. Pull in and the track widens out and branches off in to dozens of good little spots to free camp.

Free Camping Near Barrow Creek

There are no facilities available at Matts Quarry free camp however. No toilets, no showers, no water available however for the princely sum of zero zip nada dollars you get views of the surrounding area that are spectacularly beautiful. If you are looking for Barrow Creek Hotel Free Camping then I recommend Matts Quarry.

A Little Bit About Barrow Creek

With a current population of 11, Barrow Creek is a very small town in the southern Northern Territory. About halfway between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek, it is located on the Stuart Highway, about 280 km north of Alice Springs. The town’s main attraction is its roadhouse/hotel. The creek was named after the then-South Australian parliamentarian John Henry Barrow. His migration to South Australia had taken place in 1853. Kaytetye Aborigines have been living along Barrow Creek for tens of thousands of years.

Matts Quarry Free Camping Near Barrow Creek

The Peter Falconio Murder?

During a trip with his girlfriend Joanne Lees, Peter Falconio disappeared on the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek in the Northern Territory of Australia on the evening of 14 July 2001.

Following the backpacker murders, the case attracted considerable public and legal attention both domestically and overseas. Falconio was 28 years old when he disappeared. He has never been found, and it is presumed that he is dead. In December 2005, Bradley John Murdoch was found guilty of Falconio’s murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Views At Matts Quarry Near Barrow Creek

We highly recommend a visit to the National Road Transport Hall of Fame and Ghan Museum Alice Springs. The displays are fantastic and bring back memories of a bygone era. Amanda and I both work in the transport industry so this was an absolute visit for us. In particular I have a lifelong fascination with trains so to be able to get inside and up close and personal with many of the locomotives and rolling stock from the old Ghan Railway was a thing of joy for me.

Line Up Of Restored Bedfords

In addition to the chassis of the first Kenworth to roll off the production line in 1971, the National Road Transport Hall of Fame has quite a few old road trains. Many of the outback’s pioneering vehicles are on display, including over 100 restored trucks and vintage cars. Access to the Kenworth Dealer Truck Museum, the National Road Transport Museum and the Ghan Railway Museum is included in the one admission price.

Old Ghan Railway Steam Locomotive

About The National Road Transport Hall of Fame and Ghan Museum Alice Springs

In 1995 the Road Transport Historical Society opened the National Road Transport Hall of Fame in Alice Springs, Northern Territory. On the adjoining site is the Old Ghan Heritage Railway and Museum, which the society also operates.

The museum preserves Australia’s road transport heritage as a community-based volunteer organization. The museum displays a variety of road transportation modes, including camel trains and road trains of today.

Old Road Train

In order to restoring some vehicles, the museum has generally taken a lateral approach: instead of displaying them in off-production-line condition, they stand as they did in their working lives. Including the pragmatic often rough and ready modifications bush mechanics had to make to work in Australia’s harsh outback environment. They bear testimony to Australia’s pioneering road transport industry’s trials and tribulations.

Old Ghan Railway Locomotive

Photo Gallery

We spent a fantastic morning exploring The Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historical Reserve. It is an absolute must see for anyone who goes to Alice Springs. It is the best preserved station along the ‘Overland Telegraph Line’ constructed in the early 1870s to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide.

Entry To Alice Springs Telegraph Station

The Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historical Reserve marks the site of the first European settlement in the region and originally included the area now included in the township of Alice Springs.

The original Alice Springs was a water hole located some 3 km north of the present-day town. In 1870, the town was founded as a staging point for the overland telegraph line named after Alice Todd (wife of Superintendent of Post and Telegraph Sir Charles Todd). The current Alice Springs began life as Stuart, a telegraph station along the Adelaide to Darwin line, once the end of the Ghan railway line. Since renaming ‘The Alice’… as many locals call it is now a modern town in the middle of Australia.

Locals and tourists alike enjoy Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historical Reserve. In addition to the walking trails, visitors can learn about history and enjoy the green lawns and facilities. It is the best preserved station along the ‘Overland Telegraph Line’ constructed in the early 1870s to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide. As a result of the completion of the line, fast direct communication between Britain and its independent Australian colonies was now possible.

Historic Alice Springs Telegraph Station

Originally operating for 60 years, and then serving as a school for Aboriginal children, visitors today can view many of the restored stone buildings, including furnishings from 1895-1905. There is still a Post and Telegraph Office, but it operates only on special occasions.

Telegraph Station Post Office At Alice Springs

We were very fortunate to visit when the Alice Springs Telegraph Office was manned and doing demonstrations of morse code being sent and received. It was amazing to see a few old fellas tapping away and sending morse code off a sheet of paper only to see it transcribed in to text on the other side of the room.

Sending Morse Code At The Alice Springs Telegraph Station

Besides the historical Telegraph Station, the reserve has a picnic area and free electric barbeque grills. Public amenities are also available. A small cafe and kiosk offer food, cold drinks, and souvenirs.

Getting To The Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historical Reserve

This reserve is easily accessible by vehicle and is located 4 km north of Alice Springs along Herbert Heritage Drive. A walking and cycling path enters the Reserve via Schwartz Crescent, and a path along the west bank of the Todd River is known as the ‘Riverside Walk’.

We camped at the National Transport Museum just south of Alice springs and the Telegraph Station was only an easy 15 minute drive for us.

Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historic Buildings

Alice Springs camping ground at the National Road Transport Museum is a surprisingly good hidden gem. It’s in a securely fenced area with full amenities and all for a great price. We highly recommend it if you’re looking for camping in Alice Springs.

Alice Springs Camping Ground National Road Transport Museum

Alice Springs Camping Ground Amenities

We spent three nights here for the princely sum of only $15 per night. Showers and flushing toilets as well as a washing machine are all provided for this small fee. The amenities are old and a bit run down however they are clean and tidy and do the job well.

Potable water is available to fill your tanks at a central filling point. Powered sites are also available for an extra $10 per night. We opted for unpowered as we just about always do as the unpowered sites are away from the vast majority of other campers who opted for power. The sites are all quite generous in size and they have a lot of them. Most of the powered sites were taken while we were there but there were plenty of unpowered sites available. Fires are allowed in contained fire pits so long as they are up off the ground.

The location is nice and close to central Alice Springs. Alice Springs is only a ten minute drive from the National Road Transport Museum campground.

To Book A Site

Camping and general inquiries call reception on (08) 8955 5047. After hours camping enquiries 3pm – 7pm Daily 0414 185 886.

About The Museums

One of Alice Springs’ most popular tourist attractions is the National Road Transport Hall of Fame. A number of buildings house old trucks and themed displays as well as the Kenworth Dealer Hall of Fame and Shell Rimula Wall of Fame, where road transport pioneers are remembered. There are also the Old Ghan Train, Museum and Tea Rooms, a cameleers garden, a resource library, three DVD rooms and several function and event venues within the precinct. In addition to three locomotives, the museum houses some of the rarest road vehicles in the country.

How To Get There

The Norris Bell Avenue turnoff is located 1.8km north of the Airport turnoff. Take a left at this intersection (Cemetery on corner). After driving south 6 km from The Gap roundabout, turn right onto Norris Bell Avenue.

The Uluru Sunset Viewing Area is a superb place to watch the rock change colours and moods as the sun goes down late in the day. Amanda and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Uluru From Uluru The Viewing Area

Today we drove out to the cultural centre and Uluṟu and had a look around. The cultural centre is superbly done. There are a lot of artefacts on display as well as a great overview of the history of the areas people.

After visiting the Uluru Cultural Centre we went to the Uluṟu Sunset Lookout and watched the sunset. The different colours and the shades and contrasts the rock went through while we watched were mesmerising. If I hadn’t seen it I wouldn’t have believed it. Uluṟu is something else. It gives off the feeling to me that it is alive and it knows who I am and who we all are and it is watching over us. It’s bloody awesome.

David And Amanda At Uluru Sunset

About The Uluru Sunset Viewing Area

A dramatic sunset at Uluru can be experienced from this vantage point. You can also visit this area at sunrise to capture Uluru silhouetted against the rising sun. It is only accessible by cars and small vehicles – buses must use the Bus Sunset and Dune Walk Viewing Areas.

Getting to Uluru Sunset Viewing Area From Yulara

We stayed at the Yulara Resort at Yulara so accessing Uluru was easy. Leave Yulara and head south. It’s about 15km to the Uluru Viewing Area. It will take you about 15 minutes. You will have to stop at the park boom gates to either scan the pass you bought online or to buy a parks pass. A three day pass is only $38 per person.

Parked At Uluru Sunset Viewing Area