Devils Marbles: How To See This Spiritually Powerful Site
A tiny human figure, on top of a huge bolder backlit by a wonderous sunset, at Devils Marbles near the town of Wycliffe Well in the Northern Territory, Australia.
The dynamic shapes of the gigantic boulders at Devils Marbles provide a visually interesting and welcomed break for travellers on the long drive between Darwin and Alice Springs.
Devils Marbles is a unique, iconic and visually stunning rock outcrop along the Stuart Highway in Australia’s Northern Territory. The site is also known as Karlu Karlu, which translates as round boulders in the language of the regions traditional Warumungu, Kaytetye, Warlpiri and Alyawarra peoples.
It's a long and straight road between Alice Springs and Darwin and the Devils Marbles provides a pleasing visual respite amongst the immense space and harsh landscape of much of the Australian Outback.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty to see and experience in the Northern Territory. It’s an incredible place full of wonderful opportunities to make truly epic photos.
You just have to be prepared for the long driving distances between many of the Nothern Territories most iconic locations. And, please, avoid driving on the open road at night anywhere in the Northern Territory.
Wildlife and stock frequently find their way onto the road during the night, and also either side of sunrise and sunset. Despite their significant size and weight, it can be nearly impossible spotting these animals on the road when traveling at speed during these times of day when their sillhouette merges into the road.
While hitting a kangaroo can cause significant damage to the average car, a head on collision with a feral buffalo, of which there are said to be 160,000 in the Top End of Australia, will likely total the vehicle and, quite possibly, end in the death of the driver and any passengers.
Karlu Karlu
Devils Marbles, also known as Karlu Karlu in the local indigenous languages of the region, is located in an extremely isolated and harsh landscape.
The name Karlu Karlu is the name given to both the rock features (i.e., round boulders) and the surrounding landscape at what, to non-indigenous Australians, became known as the Devils Marbles.
Ownership of the Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve was officially given back to the site’s traditional owners in 2008.
Karlu Karlu is now jointly managed between the indigenous owners and Parks and Wildlife rangers.
Wycliffe Well Aliens and Accommodation
Want to be spooked?
Situated 393 km north of Alice Springs Karlu Karlu is just 13 km north of the tiny hamlet of Wycliffe Well where the trip north starts to get interesting, if not a little strange.
Wycliffe Well is one of the most famous areas for UFO sightings in Australia and the local roadhouse at Wycliffe Well has some fun paintings and statues of aliens on display.
The Wycliffe Well Holiday Park is one of the best options for accommodation close to Devils Marbles.
Wauchope Accommodation
The small town of Wauchope in the Barkly Tablelands region is located just 9 km south of the Devils Marbles.
The Devils Marbles Hotel in Wauchope offers a pretty good option for folks visiting the region.
But, whatever option you choose, remember that accommodation is sparse in this part of the world. It’s therefore advisable to book your accommodation in advance if you want to stay close to the Devil’s Marbles.
Devils Marbles Camping
Camping at Devils Marbles is another option, though most folk would probably stop at the site simply to stretch their legs and take a break from what’s a long and pretty monotonous journey along the Stuart Highway.
I’ve driven to Devils Marbles twice before. The first time was on a quick overnight dash from Alice Springs.
I drove all day to get there, stopping along the way to explore opportunities to make photos.
I arrived at Karlu Karlu just as the sun was setting and immediately began to chase the light in search of a great photo.
I camped overnight at Karlu Karlu, sleeping in a swag in the back of a borrowed ute, prior to waking up for a wet and windy dawn.
Sadly, there was no sunrise to speak of. So I packed up and make the dash back to Alice for my return flight to Melbourne later that day.
Devils Marbles | Travel Only By Day
The problem is that you really don’t want to drive at night in this part of the world. It’s just not safe to do so as large animals (e.g., kangaroos, cattle) tend to find their way onto the road at night.
Apparently they do so because the asphalt retains heat longer than the surrounding landscape.
By the time your car lights illuminate these animals it’s likely too late for all concerned.
Do be careful and, please, drive only during daylight hours.
How To Photograph Australia’s Devils Marbles
My best memory of the Devils Marbles is associated with the photo at the top of this post which I produced in the early 90’s.
I made the photo with the incredible Leica M6 camera and a Leica-M Summicron 35 mm f/2 lens on Kodak Ektachrome Elite 100 film.
I remember making the image at the Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve as the setting sun began to fade and give way to the quiet of night.
It was a wonderful, though short lived sunset and I was fortunate to have made the image just as another visitor reached the top of a distant rocky outcrop.
It was good timing as the human presence in the image adds a sense of scale to the photo which talks to the majesty of nature by showcasing the immense size of the larger granite boulders at Devils Marbles.
Devils Marbles and Bright Light Photography
Most folks only experience Devils Marbles under harsh midday sun. That could be extremely uncomfortable for tourist and camera alike.
The dynamic range you’d likely find yourself photographing under will often be extreme in this part of the world and textures and surface color can be subdued by the the harsh, bright sunlight.
Devils Marbles is certainly an iconic location and the orange/red color hues of the huge granite boulders are particular striking when sunlit against a clear, blue sky.
With that in mind you’ll likely make better photos if you position yourself so that the sun is behind you, directly illuminating the boulders within your composition.
But that’s not going to be possible when photographing under harsh, midday sun during the summer months when the sun is directly above you.
The best approach, under those circumstances, is to employ a polarizing filter to minimize color and texture being reflected off the surface of rock, earth and foliage and to deepen the color of an already blue sky.
Just remember that polarizing filters are particularly useful when photographing with the light coming from behind the photographer. When doing so the color of the rocks and surrounding landscape at Devils Marbles is most likely to be retained in your photos. Yes, it’s that easy.
Devils Marbles | How To emphasize Shape and Texture
But there are other, often more emotive ways to photograph the landscape than with the sun behind you, and I think it’s important to ask yourself what you’re trying to explore or communicate through your images.
If color is the element of the composition that’s most important to you then having the sun behind you is likely your best option for revealing color within the scene.
Alternatively, photographing side on to the light will allow you to emphasize the inherent shape and texture of what it is you’re photographing.
The good news is that you’ll find plenty of shape and texture to explore at Devils Marbles. And by moving so that you’re side on to the sun you’ll find lots of really graphic shapes for your photos.
What’s more, you’ll be surprised at the abundant textures that will be revealed through close up compositions of the boulders at Devils Marbles.
Devils Marbles Photographed in Silhouette
Silhouettes can be extremely powerful and dramatic and are a great way for photographers to communicate mood or message through their images.
If I was running a photography tour along the Stuart Highway I’d definitely include Devils Marbles on the itinerary. That’s because Karlu Karlu is the perfect location to explore the descriptive qualities of light, and it’s a great place to employ light to explore the color, shape and texture of the subjects depicted in your photos.
You can start doing so by changing your camera position, in relation to the sun, and photographing those huge granite boulders from different angles and, ideally, at different times of the day.
As you can see from the photo as the top of this post, Devils Marbles photographs well in silhouette.
Do do so, simply position yourself so that you’re photograping directly into the light. The best time to do so will be either early or late in the day when the sun is low in the sky. By photographing directly into the significantly brighter background, the boulders will render black in your photo.
As long as the boulders you’ve selected for your composition form a graphic shape, and are visually separated from the distant background sky, you’ll be able to make a decent silhouette.
Add to that the warm color of a sunrise or sunset sky and you have the potential to create a really powerful Silhouette of the Devils Marbles.
Do remember that the Devils Marbles is a hot and unforgiving landscape. Ensure you have plenty of drinking water by which to stay hydrated, as well as a good sunhat and plenty of sunscreen to protect you from sunburn.
If you’re staying nearby you could also visit Karlu Karlu for separate sunrise and sunset photo sessions, retreating back to your accommodation for rest during the hottest part of the day.
Devils Marbles | The Return Journey
My second encounter with Karlu Karlu was during an extended 3-month stay in Alice Springs. A former love interest of mine, with whom I shared an 8-year, long distance relationship, came to visit.
Lucy and I met up in Alice Springs, from where I showed her much of Central Australia, prior to heading up to Darwin and Kakadu National Park before making the long drive all the way back to Melbourne.
Our visit to Devils Marbles was on a dreadfully hot, late December afternoon.
Despite the heat we had fun clambering around the rocks prior to heading onto, what was then, poor quality and even more oppressive conditions at our accommodation in Wycliffe Well.
I understand the accommodation at Wycliffe Well, while basic, is much improved these days.
At the very least the alien paintings and statues make it a fun place to explore and a good place to fuel the car and top up your supplies of drinks and snacks for the onward journey.
If you decide to camp overnight at the Devils Marbles or, heaven forbid, your car breaks down, those drinks and snacks could become particularly important.
Devils Marbles | The Great Lesson
Have no doubt Karlu Karlu is a surreal site that does lend itself to interesting photography opportunities.
Just be aware that photographing too far away from sunrise or sunset can be challenging.
If you find yourself making the long drive between Darwin and Alice Springs, it’s well worthwhile exploring Devils Marbles.
If you’re looking to make an iconic image at sunrise or sunset then you might want to camp overnight at Karlu Karlu or, alternatively, stay in the nearby settlements of Wauchope or Wycliffe Well.
If you do decide to stay outside of the Devils Marbles, be extremely careful driving prior to sunrise or after sunset. Frankly, you shouldn’t do it.
However, because the distances to either Wauchope or Wycliffe Well are not great, driving extremely slowly won’t seem like much of an inconvenience when driving to and from your accomodation for sunrise or sunset photo sessions.
Needless to say, by significantly slowing down the time it takes to drive those short distances, your chances of avoiding a car accident will be greatly reduced.
Stay safe and enjoy the majestic beauty iconic sites like the Devils Marbles hold for travellers exploring Australia’s Northern Territory.
