The granulite‐facies rocks in the Tomkinson Ranges of central Australia are dominated by layered felsic (quartzofeldspathic) gneisses with minor interbanded mafic, calcareous, ferruginous, and quartzitic granulites. They are regarded as representing a middle Proterozoic metasedimentary and/or metavolcanic sequence which has undergone anhydrous granulite‐facies metamorphism approximately 1200 m.y. ago. Conditions of metamorphism have been derived from a petrogenetic grid based on several experimentally determined reactions and give estimates of 10–11 kb pressure and 950–1000°C. Such metamorphism could take place close to the base of the crust with a moderate geothermal gradient of 25–30°C/km.