The permanent ban on climbing Uluru was first announced in 2017 |
Australia's Uluru was permanently closed to climbers Friday evening to meet the wishes of Aboriginal people who hold the red monolith sacred, but hundreds of tourists scaled it in the final hours before the ban.
With the
last-ever climbers due back by sunset, rangers shut the entry gates to the
world-famous site also known as Ayers Rock.
The ban,
first announced in 2017, had long been sought by the traditional Aboriginal
owners of the land, the Anangu, whose connection to the site dates back tens of
thousands of years.
There were
already signs at the base of the rock imploring visitors not to climb it, but
these were not often heeded, especially in recent months as a surge of tourists
made last-minute ascents.
"I
came here just to see it but it is the last day possible (to climb Uluru), so I
have decided to try it," Polish tourist Matt Oswiecimiki told AFP.
The 29-year-old said it was "fair to stop it" tomorrow out of respect for the Anangu, but said the one-time opportunity meant he would still climb it given he was allowed to on Friday.
For years
there have been signs at the base of the rock imploring visitors not
to climb,
but they were not often heeded
|
The 29-year-old said it was "fair to stop it" tomorrow out of respect for the Anangu, but said the one-time opportunity meant he would still climb it given he was allowed to on Friday.
Tourists
are still being encouraged to visit the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park where
they can take in the monolith from its base, walk around its perimeter and
learn about its indigenous heritage at the cultural centre.
"It's
enough for me to walk around and see the rock," Japanese tourist Masahira
Suda said.
The
25-year-old said he did not judge fellow tourists for scaling Uluru but he was
refraining at the request of the Aboriginal custodians.
"I
really have respect for them," he said.
The
climbing ban has been long-sought by Aboriginal
Australians
|
Spiritual
significance
More than
395,000 people visited the park in the 12 months to June 2019, according to
Parks Australia -- about 20 percent more than the previous year.
Around 13
percent of those who visited during that period made the climb, park
authorities said.
Uluru has
great spiritual and cultural significance to indigenous Australians, and the
Anangu people will hold a ceremony Saturday to mark the climbing ban.
Indigenous
Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt likened the recent increase in tourists climbing
Uluru to "a rush of people wanting to climb over the Australian War
Memorial".
"Our
sacred objects, community by community, are absolutely important in the story
and the history of that nation of people," he told national broadcaster
ABC.
Traditional owners have long encouraged people to refrain from climbing the site for its cultural significance, to protect it from further environmental damage and to ensure visitors' safety.
More than
395,000 people visited the Uluru-Kata National Park in the
12 months to June
2019, according to Parks Australia
|
Traditional owners have long encouraged people to refrain from climbing the site for its cultural significance, to protect it from further environmental damage and to ensure visitors' safety.
Tackling
Uluru's sandstone slopes has not been an easy exercise, and at least 35 people
have died attempting the climb.
It towers
some 348 meters (1,148 feet) and summer temperatures often hit 45 degrees
Celsius (113 Fahrenheit).
Saturday
marks 34 years since that the park's title was handed back to the traditional
owners.
Related Articles:
The Creation Choir - Mar 21, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) (Pair 5 - Node: Ulura, Australia & Null: Mount Logan, Yukon Northern Territories, Canada are revealed & activated. The 12 Pleiadians time capsules (The Nodes and Nulls of Earth) within Gaia will now gradually receive information)
These time capsules need to be on the planet as a guide or blueprint for the starting creative energy of Gaia [the Creation Template]. Kryon has told us: that as the time capsules are slowly released, they modify The Crystalline Grid to help Human consciousness shift, and eventually create an ascended planet. (Text version he Fast-Track Systems")
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