Uluru Climbing To Be Banned
Tourists to be banned from climbing Uluru
SYDNEY — Australia on Wednesday announced plans to stop tourists climbing Uluru, the giant red rock sacred to Aborigines and formerly known as Ayers Rock, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.
National parks officials said the move was put forward on cultural and safety grounds as there have been about 30 deaths among tourists making the arduous climb, which has reluctantly been allowed by Aboriginal elders.
"For visitor safety, cultural, and environmental reasons the (national parks) director and the board will work towards closure of the climb," the parks authority said.
The authority's report added that Uluru was already closed on summer days and the Aboriginal community wanted it permanently off-limits to climbers.
Regional officials immediately opposed the closure, arguing it would exacerbate Australia's steady drop in tourism numbers.
"We have never supported the full closure of the climb at Uluru and that remains our position," Northern Territory Tourism Minister Chris Burns told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
However, the Australian Tourism Export Council endorsed the ban, which needs central government approval, and welcomed proposals to replace it with different activities.
"While some tourists have sought the opportunity to climb Uluru, the inbound tourism industry respects and acknowledges that the rights of Uluru?s traditional owners should be paramount with regards to this issue," the council's managing director Matt Hingerty said.
Indigenous community spokesman Vince Forrester said Aborigines had wanted the climb banned since the rock was handed back to its traditional owners in 1985, describing it as a matter of respect for an important religious site.
"You can't go climb on top of the Vatican, you can't go climb on top of the Buddhist temples and so on and so forth," he told the ABC.
The striking geographical feature, surrounded by thousands of square miles (kilometres) of desolate Outback, forms a key part of Aboriginal creation mythology and attracts about 350,000 tourists a year.
Comments
I was there in 2000. The aboriginals told us that climbing Uluru is like them scaling the Vatican. It is a holy place and we should respect that. There are helicopter rides if you want to see it from above :-)
good work mr brodie kelly you tell them
Climbing uluru ''Ayers Rock'' is our right as Australians. If you are Aborigonal it does not make you any more Australian than if you are a white man or lady. I live in Darwin the most multi cutural place on earth we share everything with th Aboriginals just like you should share ''Your'' rock with us. We are constantly being banned from places that you say you own because you believe some big snake made. if a snake is so spiritual why do you eat them. Aboriginals are the most racist people on earth they hate everyone who is different. i should know im the whitest person in my family
I have a right, just like every other Australian, Aboriginal or not, to climb the rock.
How dare some A**hole tell me they don’t want me to climb it, or even worse, close it. How many times have people tried closing it. i travel this country looking for amasing places to relax and take in the beautiful landscape. and if i want to climb the rock, i bloody will!!
The aborigines didn’t make the rock, neither did some spiritual idol. how can they stop people enjoying a NATURAL! beauty. They can’t. Get over your pathetic attempt to close everything off to the world.
i can consider my self a native as well, i was born in Australia , this doesn’t mean i can go into the bush, let alone a National Park, find something and say this is mine and no one else can see it.
Build a bridge and get over it.
You are dragging your culture down by this petty crap.
When I was there in 1998, one could climb the rock if he paid a $20 US fee to the local elders.
Are all the local Aborigines for the ban?
With all due respect, it seemed a money maker for the local Aborigines.
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