Hundreds line up to climb Uluru as landmark closes to the public

As of yesterday, climbing Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, in Australia will become illegal after a decades-long fight by Aboriginal people. The entrance gate was locked at 4pm local time. All signs and climbing equipment were dismantled and anyone now caught climbing the cultural site will face a substantial fine.

WHY IS CLIMBING THE ROCK BEING BANNED?

IN 2017, the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park board voted unanimously to forbid tourists climbing the giant red monolith, with officials saying that it is “not a theme park”.

The climb may be a treasured memory for some, but the ban will end years of distress for aboriginal groups. The Anangu people, the traditional owners of Uluru – situated in the heart of the Northern Territory’s Red Centre – have called for a ban on climbing their sacred site since 1985, when the park returned to indigenous control.

Sammy Wilson, who chaired the board that barred the climb, explained the ban is cause for celebration amongst aboriginal communities who place great spiritual significance on the site. He said the site was “an extremely important place, not a playground or theme park like Disneyland”.

“If I travel to another country and there is a sacred site, an area of restricted access, I don’t enter it or climb it, I respect it,” he said. “It is the same for Anangu. We are not stopping tourism, just this activity.”

Hundreds of climbers scaled Uluru on the final day before the ban

HOW DID THE PUBLIC REACT TO THE BAN?

BEFORE the ban was announced most visitors respected the wishes of the Anangu. Reports show that fewer than 20% of visitors to Uluru ventured up the steep red flanks of the rock.

However, the decision made by the Anangu people, who regard the site as a key part of their culture, triggered an influx of Australian and oversees tourists eager to make the climb before it is made illegal.

Recent government data shows that nearly 400,000 tourists have rushed to climb Australia’s most famous natural landmark in the year to the end of June. Pictures taken in the final days before the ban show an almost endless conga line of tourists wrapping their way up the landmark’s iconic red flanks.

Those waiting in line yesterday morning justified their decision to climb the culturally significant landmark. Some families were going up to the peak in order to take a picture to commemorate their trip to the country. Others were Australian and explained they wanted one last look at the view from the top. When asked about the religious significance of the site, one said they followed the trail “respectfully and didn’t stray from the path”.

The upsurge of tourists taking advantage of a final opportunity to make the trek has sparked criticism online. Twitter users commented that climbing the rock in the final days was directly disrespecting the wishes of the Anangu people.

As images emerged of the line forming around the landmark, prominent indigenous academic Marcia Langton was scathing in her criticism of those who made a last-ditch effort to climb the monolith.

“A curse will fall on all of them. They will remember how they defiled this sacred place until they die and history will record their contempt for aboriginal culture until they die,” she tweeted.

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WHAT’S THE CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ROCK?

THE closure marks 34 years to the day since Uluru was handed back to the Anangu people, its traditional owners.

Uluru is considered to be a place of spiritual significance among the Anangu people. The site is a sacred place and the location of their creation myth, Tjukurpa, which is the foundation of their culture.

The aboriginal group believe that in the beginning the world was unformed and unremarkable, that their ancestral beings emerged from the void and created living beings and forms. They consider the Uluru to be the physical evidence of the wonders that their ancestors performed.

The Anangu claim the giant red monolith has deep spiritual significance as a route their ancestors took. For years they have advocated visiting the site without climbing the giant red monolith, installing signage at the base of the rock warning tourists against scaling it.

However, the desire to trek along the side of the rock to its 348-metre summit is common, with reports that around 20% of visitors to the site ignore the Anangu’s wishes.

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Appealing to tourists visiting the site, a sign reads: “Uluru is sacred in our culture … is a place of great knowledge. Under our traditional law climbing is not permitted.

“As custodians, we are responsible for your safety and behaviour. Too many people do not listen to our message. Too many people have died or been hurt causing great sadness. We worry about you and we worry about your family.”

HAVE THERE BEEN ANY OTHER REASONS FOR THE BAN?

THE decision is also influenced by the dangerous and sometimes fatal journey to the 348m summit.

The perilous track has claimed the lives of 37 tourists since Westerners began climbing the rock in the middle of last century. The terrain is steep and unforgiving.

Tourists have slipped on wet rocks and plummeted to their deaths. Others underestimated the strenuous climb in the unforgiving Australian heat and suffered heart attacks.