The Devil's Marbles
Karlu Karlu
Location
The Devil's Marbles are located 100km south of Tennant Creek scattered through a wide shallow valley in the Northern Territory Australia.
Flora and Fauna
Fauna
Karlu Karlu (The Devil's Marbles) is home to many types of animals that include a variety of snakes e.g. Black snake, Red Belly Black snake and the Brown snake. Lizards such as the Blue Tongue lizard and other species of lizards also live there. Birds found in the region are the Koel, Dollarbird and the Rainbow Bee-eater. The animals that live in the region are well adapted to the heat and have special techniques (such as sand burrowing) so they are shielded from the suns heat. The shade of the rocks are used as shelters and can also provide the perfect sun baking spots for coldblooded animals.
Flora
Grasses are another good spot for shelter and so is the sand because some animals bury there. Wild grasses grow freely among the region they are surrounded by small Shrubs and Boabs. The plants are dry and have long root systems as they can have better access to water from the Earth which allows them to survive in the heat for longer between each rainfall.
Historical Information
In the creation story of the Dreamtime, the Rainbow Serpent fashioned the Earth then returned to a place east of the Kimberley's at a place were the Rainbow meets the Earth. The Rainbow Serpent 's eggs were then fossilised and then became what non-Aboriginal people call "The Devil's Marbles''. But the Aboriginal people still know them as Karlu Karlu. Because of this The Devil's Marbles "Karlu Karlu" is spiritually significant and is a very special and sacred site for the Aboriginal people (Warumungu people) who are the traditional people of the land.
How The Devil's Marbles Were Formed
These ancient formations formed over millions of years continue to crack and erode making a unique view. These granite formations have withstood the eroding forces of wind and rain, unlike the surrounding sandstone. The formation of the Devil's Marbles are a result of the erosion of the sandstone on top of granite (which was formed millions of years ago due to the hardening of magma within the Earth's crust) which the marbles made up.