Australia’s Uluru closed to climbers, huge crowds scrambled up for the final time

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Uluru, the giant monolith will remain permanently off limits , it was once known to the visitors as Ayers Rock. In 2017, only 16% of visitors went up when the ban was announced, however the climb has been packed in recent week.

The Anangu people, Uluru’s indigenous custodians who find it sacred have long implored tourists not to climb.

Due to the dangerously strong winds the final climbers faced a delayed start which being one of the many reasons Uluru has been closed to people wishing to reach the top over the years.

Since the 1950s the walk has been hazardous, the high temperatures in the area can reach upto 47C in the summer indicating that the visitors have died of dehydration and other heat-related events.

The steep and slipper climb to the summit standing at 348m is also dangerous. In an attempt to climb the steepest part of the rock a Japanese tourist died.

After the park officials deemed the climb safe to open , on Friday hundreds of people made the trek up as the entrance gate was due to be closed at 16:00 local time on Friday.After the people come down a metal chain used as a climbing aid would be immediately dismantled according to the officials.

Due to the spiritual significance of the site in 2017 the board of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta national park voted unanimously to end the climb along with safety and environmental reasons.

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