Tnorala Conservation Reserve

Tnorala (Gosse Bluff) Conservation Reserve is a place of great cultural significance to the Western Arrernte 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 ask you to respect the area and obey signs where access is not permitted.

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 Western scientific view about the formation of the bluff is not that different: probably a comet crash.