114 kilometres from the town of Tennant Creek, Northern Territories. the mysterious Devil's Balls Reserve - a cluster of huge round granite boulders scattered in disorder across a wide and shallow valley a wide and shallow valley. The granite that makes up the Devil's Balls was formed millions of years ago by the solidification of magma on the surface of the earth. And then water and wind came into play, over millennia to carve the remarkable shape of the rocks. Because of the dramatic day-night temperature swings temperatures in Central Australia, the boulders expand and contract throughout the day. Sometimes this causes them to crumble and even fall apart.
Local Aborigines call these oval blocks of rock "Karlu Karlu" - dangerously balancing dangerously on top of each other, they're in a place sacred to indigenous people of Central Australia. The Kaititi people believe these boulders are nothing more are the eggs of a mystical rainbow snake, the ancestor of mankind. Other stories about the creation of the world are also associated with them, only some of which the aborigines can tell to the uninitiated. Although many of the ceremonies and rituals associated with the Devil's Balls have been lost over time, the site is still of great significance to the Aboriginal people and is considered one of the oldest religious sites in the world.
In 1953, one of the Devil's Balls was taken to Alice Springs to create a a monument to the memory of John Flynn, founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. It was thought at the time to immortalise his association with the Australian Outback, but the there was later considerable controversy over this, as the stone was taken from a an Aboriginal sacred site without their permission. It wasn't until the late 1990s was cleaned and returned to its original location. And at Flynn's grave, a similar one, donated by the tribes. a similar one donated by the Arrernte people.
In 2008, the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Service returned the Devil's Balls area to indigenous ownership. However, the reserve is jointly managed by the Service and Aboriginal community representatives of Aboriginal communities.
Today, the reserve is visited by thousands of tourists all year round due to its accessibility and well-developed infrastructure: several hiking trails have been laid across the territory, information boards have been installed, and picnic areas have been organized. From May to October, the park rangers organise various events and performances, attracting visitors from all over the country and other parts of the world.
