"A circular mountain range formed by something that fell from the sky — told by both science and Dreaming"
Gosses Bluff Crater
Macdonnell Region, Australia
In the Western MacDonnell Ranges of central Australia, a ring of mountains five kilometres across rises from the desert floor. Science says an asteroid struck here 142 million years ago. The Western Arrernte people say a baby fell from the Milky Way, and its parents — the evening and morning stars — are still searching. Both accounts describe the same event: something fell from the sky and reshaped the earth.
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Quick Facts
Location
Macdonnell Region, Australia
Site Type
Coordinates
-23.8191, 132.3069
Last Updated
Mar 9, 2026
Learn More
Tnorala is a 142-million-year-old asteroid impact crater in central Australia, sacred to the Western Arrernte people whose Dreaming story describes a baby falling from the Milky Way.
Origin Story
In the Dreamtime, celestial women were dancing as stars in the Milky Way. One woman placed her baby in a turna (carrying basket) while she danced. The basket tipped, and the baby fell to earth, striking the ground with force that pushed the rocks upward into the circular mountain range. The baby's parents, the evening star and the morning star, continue to search for their child and are visible in the sky at dawn and dusk.
Spiritual Lineage
The Western Arrernte people are the Traditional Owners and custodians of Tnorala. Their Dreaming narrative is a living tradition maintained through cultural practice and transmission.
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