Wolfe Creek Crater is a geological formation formed by a meteor impact, popular with travellers in the Tanami Desert region of Western Australia.

The almost perfectly circular crater, some 880 m (2887 feet) in diameter and 60 m (196 feet) deep, forms the focus of the Wolfe Creek Crater National Park.

Oh, and chill out - the movie Wolf Creek is completely fictional.

Understand

The Wolfe Creek crater

Wolfe Creek Crater was only discovered by science in 1947 as a result of aerial surveys. The feature had been known to First Nations peoples since time unknown, under the name Kandimalal.

It is thought that the crater was formed some 300,000 years ago when a meteor weighing in excess of 50,000 tonnes (55,116 tons) impacted the earth's surface at 15 km/s (9.3 mi/s).

The crater partly inspired the name and setting of a 2005 horror film, Wolf Creek, depicting serial killings in the Outback regions of Australia.

Whilst toilets exist at the site, note that there is no water made available at the crater.

Get in

Wolfe Creek Crater is located some 145 km SSE of Halls Creek via an eastern offshoot of the Tanami Track to Alice Springs (gravel, only accessible to conventional vehicles during the dry season from May-October). Look for signs to the crater. The drive takes 2-3 hours to complete and should only be undertaken after notifying the authorities of travelling intentions and with sufficient water reserves.

Note that the road is often closed during the Northern Australian wet season (summer).

Fees and permits

There are camping fees of $8 for adults per night, $6 concession card holders per night, $3 for children per night

See

• 1 Wolfe Creek Crater. This crater is the second largest in the world where fragments have been collected off the meteorite. The crater averages about 875 metres in diameter and 60 metres from rim to present crater floor. It's estimated that the meteorite that formed it was about 15 metres in diameter and had a mass of about 17,000 tonnes (updated May 2018)
• Wildlife resident within the crater

Do

Sightseeing, walking, photography, nature observation. Viewing from the crater rim is a must.

An alternative, spectacular way to view the crater is to take an aerial flight from Halls Creek.

Eat and drink

There are no places to eat nor drink.

Sleep

Camping

A camping ground is available in the national park.

• 1 Wolfe Creek Campground, Carranya-Wolfe Creek Crater Rd, Sturt Creek W. Outback camping. (updated Oct 2021)

Connect

As of March 2024, Wolfe Creek Crater and its approach roads have no mobile signal.