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Oct 25, 2019 · The giant monolith - once better known to visitors as Ayers Rock - will be permanently off limits from Saturday. Uluru is sacred to its indigenous custodians, the Anangu people, who have long...
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The trek up Australia's Ayers Rock will soon be closed—it's not a “playground or theme park,” a leading official says.
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Australia’s National Park Board has voted unanimously to close Uluru, or Ayers Rock, to climbers. The majestic red rock is located in Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Australia’s Northern Territory. It is considered sacred by the region’s indigenous Anangu people.
The ban will officially be recognized on Oct. 26, 2019—nearly two years from now. The date itself also holds significance, as the 34th anniversary of the government restoring ownership of Uluru to the Anangu people.
The decision to ban climbing has been long expected, after locals have been asking that visitors refrain from the activity for decades. A sign at the base of the rock politely reads: “Please don’t climb.” The custodians of the land, the Anangu people, have long worried that frequent climbing will damage the rock. (See a dazzling light display illuminate Uluru.)
“It is an extremely important place, not a playground or theme park like Disneyland,” says board chairman Sammy Wilson.
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Aerial view of Hill Inlet and Whitehaven Beach. Whitsunday Island, Whitsundays, Queensland, Australia
Aerial view of Hill Inlet and Whitehaven Beach. Whitsunday Island, Whitsundays, Queensland, Australia
Photograph by Andrew Watson, Getty Images
The proportion of visitors who have made the climb up 1,141-foot-tall Ayers Rock has dwindled over the last several years—down to less than 17 percent since 2011. More than 250,000 people visit the park each year though, making the number of climbers per year more than 40,000. This is a significant drop in numbers, from around 38 percent in 2010 and a whopping 74 percent in the 1990s.
Jan 2, 2017 · As of October 26th 2019, it will not be possible to climb Uluru: In line with the agreed process in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Management Plan 2010-2020 and the wishes of traditional owners, the climb to the top of Uluru will close on 26 October 2019.
Ayers Rock is 348 metres high (that's a 95 story building). The climbing path is about 1.6 km long and can be treacherous. The first part has a chain to hold on to. It is a very strenuous climb (most of the over 35 deaths at Ayers Rock were due to heart attacks) and takes about two hours to complete.
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Oct 23, 2019 · For decades, hundreds of thousands of visitors to Australia's desert centre have trekked up Uluru, the ancient red monolith formerly known as Ayers Rock. But from Saturday, the climb will be...
Oct 24, 2019 · While most Australians support the Anangu’s decision, climbers have flocked to Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, in recent months in numbers not seen for more than 15 years. On Friday, the last...
Jul 12, 2017 · Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, was once a popular climb for travelers. Indigenous beliefs and safety concerns now bring that practice into debate.
