Kaltukatjara was originally established as an outstation in 1968. It was established so that the Aboriginal people living in missions such as Areyonga could live closer to their homelands. It was also to encourage people to move out of the Ayers Rock–Mt Olga National Park. The settlement was named "Docker River" after the stream that flows through the community. This stream was given its name by the explorer Ernest Giles when he travelled through the area in 1872.