Darwin to Uluru - Central Australia: Adelaide to Darwin - page 398

TOP OF CHAPTER
Tennant Creek to Alice Springs
The gigantic boulders in precarious piles beside the Stuart Hwy, 105km south of Tennant
Creek, are called the Devil's Marbles . Karlu Karlu is their Warumungu name, and this re-
gistered sacred site has great cultural importance. The rocks are believed to be the eggs of
the Rainbow Serpent.
According to scientists, the 'marbles' are the rounded remains of a layer of granite that
has eroded over aeons. A 15-minute walk loops around the main site. This geological phe-
nomenon is particularly beautiful at sunrise and sunset, when these oddballs glow warmly.
The camping ground (adult/child $3.30/1.65) has remarkably hard ground, pit toilets and
fireplaces (BYO firewood).
At Wauchope ( war -kup), 10km south of the Devil's Marbles, you will find Bruce, the
gregarious publican of the Wauchope Hotel ( 08-8964 1963; www.wauchopehotel.com.au ;
Stuart Hwy; unpowered/powered sites $14/20, budget s $45, en suite s/d $85/95; ) . His
budget rooms are dongas but the costlier rooms are more spacious, with bathrooms. Meals
from the restaurant (mains $18-33) are more than satisfactory.
At the kooky Wycliffe Well Roadhouse & Holiday Park ( 1800 222 195, 08-8964
1966; www.wycliffe.com.au ; unpowered/powered sites $34/35, budget s/d from $50/60, s/d cabins
with bathroom $110/117; 6.30am-9pm; ) , 17km south of Wauchope, you can fill
up with fuel and food (mains $15 to $20) or stay and spot UFOs that apparently fly over
with astonishing regularity. The place is decorated with alien figures and UFO newspaper
clippings. The park has a lawn camp site, an indoor pool, kids' playground, a cafe and a
range of international beer.
Heading south, you reach the rustic Barrow Creek Hotel ( 08-8956 9753; Stuart Hwy;
powered camp sites $15, s/d $50/65; 7am-11pm) , one of the highway's eccentric outback
pubs. In the tradition of shearers who'd write their name on a banknote and pin it to the
wall to ensure they could afford a drink when next they passed through, travellers contin-
ue to leave notes and photos. Food and fuel are available and next door is one of the ori-
ginal Telegraph Stations on the Overland Telegraph Line.
The highway continues through Ti Tree, where you'll find a roadhouse and, off the
highway, the Ti Tree Food Store, which has espresso coffee. About 12km south of Ti Tree,
the Red Centre Farm (Shatto Mango; 08-8956 9828; www.redcentrefarm.com ; Stuart Hwy;
7am-7pm) sells unique Territory-style wine − made from mangoes. If that sounds a bit hard
to swallow, try the other mango products, such as the delicious ice cream.