Australia's famed Uluru outback monolith to be closed to climbers

Reuters ^ | 11-1-2107 | Zalika Rizmal

[Eddie01]

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia’s world-famous Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, will be closed to climbers from 2019, its management board said on Wednesday, ending a decades-long campaign by Aborigines to protect their sacred monolith in the Northern Territory.

A board of eight traditional owners and four government officials voted unanimously to close the rock to climbers, a spokesperson told Reuters.

[snip]

[Eddie01]

[SkyDancer]

World’s largest boulder; glad I climbed it when I had the chance.

[Ken522]

What was it like when you climbed it, SkyDancer? How was the climate? What time of day did you do it?? Thanks!

[VanDeKoik]

At least they still have Ayers Rock. Kinda looks the same, to be honest.

[Flycatcher]

When you ban Uluru Rock climbers from climbing Uluru Rock then only Uluru Rock outlaw climbers will climb Uluru Rock.

Or something like that.

[butlerweave]

Well there goes the Tourist Dollars

[SkyDancer]

Okay, the initial climb is very steep and there's a chain hand rail to help you along. About every fifty feet or so people are sitting trying to catch their breath then move on to what's the lower shelf where everybody usually stops; however there's a higher shelf (top lookout) that has no safety chain to hold on to and is only about eight feet wide with a drop off on either side (looong way down) - on the top the wind is blowing really hard. There's a guest book there for people to sign. It's harder going down than up.

Hope this helped.

I'm glad they're closing it down, tourists were really trashing it.

[Vaquero]

Heck with your connections I would have taken a helicopter

[Moonman62]

At least they still have Ayers Rock. Kinda looks the same, to be honest.

...

According to the article it’s one and the same. I guess when they renamed it that was a sign that ignorance would rule. It’s a rock. Like the rock in Saudi Arabia it’s not to be worshiped.

[SkyDancer]

Nope. No aircraft allowed, no sky diving. You want on top, you climb it.

[Eddie01]

That rock has best cliff hang gliding site evah written all over it.

[Vaquero]

Pass😎👍

[nickcarraway]

Isn’t that where the unpleasantness with Azaria Chamberlain happened?

[wardaddy]

Not much different than here where our aboriginals make similar demands

Try climbing a nice hoodoo on Navajo or Zuni or Hopi lands

Beg and $$

[SkyDancer]

Yep - also there’s a brief mention of it in the movie Quigly Down Under

[PhiloBedo]

IBADAYB

[IronJack]

Of course it’s “sacred.” To hear the natives everywhere talk, every rock and pebble is sacred. Until you give them money ...

[Daniel Ramsey]

Good! I’m glad that happened.

[NCC-1701]

I climbed it in 1987. Quite a view from the top.

[NCC-1701]

Ayer’s Rock is one of three things to climb to join the Pacific Rim Climbers Club. The other two are Diamond Head and Mt. Fuji. I still need Fuji to complete the triumvirate.