Tag: Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park

Uluru Rock Climb Claims Another Life

Whether it has been called Uluru, Ayers Rock, or simply the Rock, Australias giant monolith has been the countrys spiritual heart for many thousands of years. But the death of a tourist on the site last month has reignited a heated controversy that just refuses to go away.

The traveller was a 54-year-old man from the Australian state of Victoria. He collapsed and died while on his way down from the top of Uluru a steep, one-hour climb which is permitted by Australian but not Aboriginal law.

Many myself included would argue that the death should not have happened at all. If Australian authorities had the courage to put aside their misguided beliefs about tourism revenues and instead show a level of respect for indigenous culture, then the climb would have been closed a long time ago.

World Heritage-listed Uluru is sacred to its Aboriginal owners, the Anangu. They ask visitors not to climb it because the walking route is believed to be a Dreamtime track of huge significance, a pathway used by their spiritual ancestors during the creation of the land. As a result, the Anangu, who are believed to have called the area home for 10,000 years, also feel responsible for all the people who have died while attempting the climb. That number stands at 36 since 1958, with the latest victim being the first since 2000.

Defying Thousands of Years of Tradition

Regardless of the spiritual beliefs of the site’s owners, many people still choose to do the treacherous 348m climb. Indeed, considerable numbers visit the site for that specific reason, with many older Australians in particular considering the experience to be some form of national rite of passage.

The climb is closed during times of high winds or Aboriginal ceremonies, but otherwise is open to anybody who fancies a go.

The issue is that, unlike other sacred Aboriginal sites which are more remote and so less valuable to tourism, Australian authorities have always resisted pleas to close the climb. Indeed, federal authorities have actually gone to great lengths to keep it open.

The Anangu own the land after it was formally handed back to them in 1985, but under the terms of the agreement, they were forced to lease Uluru back to the government for 99 years. Despite a promise to the contrary by then prime minister Bob Hawke, climbing the Rock was not banned.

But the last year or so has seen a concerted campaign to ban the climb, led by the governments environment minister (and former Midnight Oil rocker) Peter Garrett.

However the former singer has come up against tough opposition from the tourism industry and, more importantly, his boss prime minister Kevin Rudd. Almost as soon as Garretts plan to close the climb was announced, the supposedly forward-thinking PM was quoted as saying: I think it would be very sad if we got to a stage where Australians, and frankly our guests from abroad, werent able to enjoy that experience to climb it.

A new management plan has since been approved for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which includes several preconditions that must be met before a ban is implemented. One of those is that the number of visitors who do the climb must drop to below 20%; the figure currently stands around 38%. Garrett has stated he believes it will take four years to reach the 20% threshold.

Of course, in a perfect world, the legalities would be irrelevant. It is clear to anyone that has visited this incredibly spiritual site that to take on the climb is a cultural faux pas of massive proportions. Only a select number of the Rocks Aboriginal guardians climb Uluru, and then only for special indigenous ceremonies. It is for good reason that it is revered by not just the local Anangu people, but by the hundreds of Aboriginal tribes across Australia. It truly is the countrys spiritual heart.

Any visitor knows this, of course. It is repeatedly mentioned in the visitor centre and on a big sign at the foot of the climb. But the reality remains that while the climb is open and legal, the prospect of a good view proves simply too tempting for many people.

Tourists taking the piss – literally – when it comes to Uluru

Uluru by Stuart Edwards Tourists are taking the piss quite literally when it comes to Uluru, the sacred Aboriginal ‘rock’ in the middle of the Australian desert.

Andrew Simpson is the general manager of Anangu Waai, an Aboriginal-owned company that runs culturally sensitive tours of the World Heritage-listed Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. He claims that tourists are not only disrespecting local heritage and beliefs by climbing Uluru in the first place, but they are “shitting on a sacred site” when they get to the top.

Waiting half an hour to get to the bottom again, he says, is just too much of an effort for some visitors.

“That’s been going on for years,” he told the NT News. “Most of them have a toilet roll tucked away.”

Closing The Toilet Door

In his submission in response to a draft management plan for the national park, Mr Simpson said there were concerns that the human waste along with other slightly less offensive forms of rubbish had been ending up in a sacred pool at the foot of the rock.

That’s been going on for years … most [tourists] have a toilet roll tucked away.

The draft plan includes a proposal to stop visitors climbing the rock. More than 150 submissions had been received when the consultation period closed on Friday. The response is believed to be the largest to any draft plan for an Australian national park.

Uluru also known as Ayer’s Rock is viewed as sacred by the local Aangu people because it forms a direct link to the Dreamtime.

The area around around the monolith has many rock caves and rock paintings, with archaeologists and geologists dating human activity in the area back some 10,000 to 20,000 years.

But the site is also one of Australia’s most popular visitor attractions, and tourist authorities fear that closing the climb would affect tourist numbers. Almost half a million people currently visit Uluru each year.

What Will The Government Do?

The future of the rock climb now rests in the hands of Australia’s environment minister, Peter Garrett. And this is where it all gets interesting.

Prior to turning to politics, Garrett, a lawyer by trade, was perhaps better known as the lead singer of the internationally successful Australian rock band Midnight Oil. The band was among the most politically active of the 1980s and 1990s, and was at the forefront of environmental and indigenous rights campaigns.

The band’s most notable political statement came during the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics when they performed their hit song Beds Are Burning, a protest song in support of Aboriginal land rights. In front of billions of television viewers and the then-prime minister John Howard, the band members all wore black, save for the word ‘sorry’ stamped across their clothing. This was in reference to Howard’s blatant refusal to apologise on behalf of the nation for the way the country’s indigenous people had been treated since European settlement.

After coming to power, one of the first things the current prime minister (and Garrett’s boss) Kevin Rudd did was to say sorry. Rudd, however, has since gone on record opposing the closure of the Uluru climb.

Peter Garrett is known worldwide for his outspoken views on Aboriginal land rights and for his campaigning for respect for this ancient (and decimated) culture. He is now in a position to turn his words to actions. Will he prove the ultimate hypocrite and allow the Uluru climb to stay open in the face of opposition from its traditional owners?

A decision is expected next year.

Uluru photo by Stuart Edwards

Imagine climbing the Pyramids!

Would you walk on someone’s grave? Or cross someone’s back yard if they asked you not to? Or risk your life if you knew someone else would feel responsible if you died? They’re simple questions of common sense and respect, but neither comes into the equation when it comes to climbing the world’s most famous monolithic site.

The traditional Aboriginal owners of Australia’s Uluru (also known officially by its European name of Ayer’s Rock), ask tourists to not to climb their sacred site. It’s considered by the local Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara (or Aangu) people to be sacred because it links them to their ancestors and to the story of the Dreamtime. The area around Uluru has many rock caves used by ancient peoples, as well as many paintings left by them.

The climb to the top of the rock is a strenuous 800m uphill hike that takes at least an hour. The path traces the route traditionally taken by a small and select group of indigenous men upon their arrival at Uluru (it is said the path crosses an ancient Dreamtime track). For this reason, and because the Aboriginal owners feel responsible for the safety of those who climb the rock has claimed the lives of 35 novice climbers over the last 20 years they ask people not to climb.

Here is the official government guidance on the matter. It in part states:
“Anangu have not closed the climb. They prefer that you out of education and understanding choose to respect their law and culture by not climbing. Remember that you are a guest on Anangu land. Anangu traditionally have a duty to safeguard visitors to their land. They feel great sadness when a person dies or is hurt.
* Please visit the Cultural Centre to learn more about the significance of Uluru in Anangu law and culture before you decide whether to climb.
* Explore the other walks available around the Park.
* Follow safety information when you are visiting the Park.”

This is all well and good but it’s not strictly true.

The Anangu didn’t ‘choose’ not to close the climb. Keeping the then-established tourist route open was a pre-condition for the government handing the land back to its traditional owners in 1985. The local people were granted a lease over the land, which was subsequently leased back to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, which jointly manages it.

Uluru is at the heart of the Uluu-Kata Tjua National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is one of the world’s most recognisable archaeological sites. Human activity in the area dates back more than 10,000 years, though some archaeologists and geologists put the figure at more than 20,000. It attracts almost half a million tourists each year, and it’s on the short list for the new natural wonders of the world list.

The Australian National University geographer Richard Baker and his colleague Cathy Robinson conducted surveys in 2003 and 2004 to determine what percentage of visitors chose to climb. They found that 35.5% of visitors to the rock in 2004 climbed (or intended to climb) it, compared to 43% the previous year. In June 2006, Baker returned with another researcher, Hannah Hueneke, to conduct another round of surveys and to interview visitors to Uluru. They found that over one-third of those interviewed still planned to climb (or had climbed) the rock.

Baker and Hueneke found that people climb for different reasons, including different cultural beliefs, the desire to be able to say they had reached the top, and the desire to take photos from the top or to see the view. They also found a lack of prior knowledge of the ‘to climb or not to climb’ question, and the short, structured nature of many package trips meant people were often ill-prepared to fully consider the ramifications of their decision to climb. In short, many of the people who chose to climb had travelled thousands of miles to see (and climb) Uluru, and had never heard of the Anangu before arriving, let alone considered their ancient beliefs. The distance travelled (and the money spent) outweighed the call to respect someone else’s property and ancestral home.

Interestingly, 98% of those interviewed by Baker and Hueneke said they would have still visited Uluru had climbing been banned. Some visitors said they wished the climb had been closed so they weren’t forced to make the decision themselves.

Perhaps the last word should go to the traditional owners themselves. David Ross, of the Central Land Council, which represents the Anangu, told the Guardian: “You can’t climb over the Acropolis any more,” he says. “You can’t climb the Pyramids, so how come you can still climb the rock?”

Photo: Kevin Matthews