Tnorala (Gosse
Bluff) Conservation Reserve is a place of great cultural significance to the Western Arrente Aboriginal people, as
well as one of international scientific interest.
The Reserve is a registered sacred site and traditional owners welcome visitors to experience Tnorala's magic, but we ask you to respect the area and obey signs where access is not permitted.
How to Get There
The Reserve is about 175km west of
Alice Springs. Access is via Larapinta or Namatjira Drive. A 4WD is recommended for the last 10km drive to the Reserve and a Mereenie Tour Pass is required to travel this road.
When to Visit
The Reserve is accessible all year round. The cooler months from April to October are the most pleasant. All roads can be impassible after heavy rain.
What to See and Do
Bushwalk, explore the crators, and enjoy a picnic.
Recreational Activities
Scenic and Cultural Features
Plants & Animals
Visitor Facilties
Picnic facilities,
toilets, information and walking tracks are available at the Tnorala (Gosse
Bluff) Conservation Reserve.
Camping is not permitted within this Reserve. Fires are also not allowed here.
A stop over at Tnorala offers
views into the interior of the crator. There is a
picnic area a short distance from
the Bluff, which includes pit
toilets and a shade shelter with excellent information about the area. No barbecue facilities are available as fire is not permitted here.
Activities and facilities within the Park include:
4 x 4 Driving
Picnic Tables
Walking Tracks
There is a short walk to a
lookout on an adjacent ridge. Access within Tnorala is restricted in accordance with the wishes of Traditional Owners. Walking along
the crater rim is not permitted.
Scenic and Cultural Features
According to Aboriginal belief, Tnorala was formed in the creation time, when a group of women danced across the sky as the Milky Way. During this dance, a mother put her baby aside, resting in it's wooden baby-carrier (a turna). The carrier toppled over the edge of the dancing area and crashed to earth where it was transformed into the circular
rock walls of Tnorala.
The Aboriginal and scientific interpretation of
the Bluff are similar in that both have a celestial origin.
Around 142.5 million years ago an object from space, believed to be a
comet about 600 metres across, crashed to earth, blasting a crater some 20km across. Today's land surface is about 2km lower than the original impact surface and
the bluff is about 5km in diameter, reduced over time by erosion.
The remnant crator was named Gosse's Range by the explorer Ernest Giles in 1872 after H. Gosse, a fellow of the Royal Society.
Title for the Reserve was granted to traditional owners and is now jointly managed with the Parks and Wildlfie Service.
Plants and Animals
At least five rare plant species are found in this area, including the western desert grass tree (Xanthorrhoea thorntonii), which also occurs just outside the Reserve's boundary. A stand of fire sensitive mulga occurs in the north-west corner of
the crater.
Approaching Tnorala or Gosse
Bluff, formed 140 million years ago when a meteor crashed here. The inner ring of 250 m high hills has a diameter of about 5 km. It is about 55 km to the west of
Hermannsburg