Uluru closed to climbers - Permanently

[marvellous_matt]

I have heard this sort of Shit regularly too.. few members of our club went there and it couldn't have been better weather - sunny, mid 20's no rain on the horizon etc ... CLOSED

The climb assessment is a stressful tasks for most rangers, they need to make an assessment based on BOM information and measurements taken on the ground, at the climb. They are trying to balance the safety aspects with the knowledge that if they get it wrong (and even if they get it right) they and their colleagues are likely to get an earful from those that feel hard done by when  the climb is closed.
It is re-assessed a number of times during the day. As it takes several hours to complete you cant just flick a switch, open/closed. If you make it open the conditions need to be safe and stable for 3-4 hours, so people can get up and back safely. Of course even when conditions are good there are accidents, and rescue operations take time and have safety risks........

[BTMNDR]

If a mob of black fellas arrived in all the capital cities in Australia and abseiled the various cathedrals, there’d be hell to pay because of their heathen disrespect to white Australia’s religious monuments.

So why can’t white Australia reselect black fella sensibilities.

I’m an atheist and have visited the Rock on numerous occasions. I’d have liked to climb it but respectfully chose not to do so.

[Craig Tomkinson]

Not from me I am Atheist also let them climb them,  if they want to walk over my old man grave there welcome to hes dead hes not going to wake up, The rock has been climbed for many years it was blowing 30knots the day I climbed it no worries at all, Craig

[McGirr]

There will always be divided opinons about the decision.

Also I always find the " Its my country I have the right to go anywhere I like" attitude quite amusing 

Mark

[Craig Tomkinson]

Not At all, if the Rock had never been climbed at all, I could understand, You watch a tourist company will get the exclusive contract and for $200 up they will go, Craig

[duggie]

I have never had the want nor the need to climb it , I have seen the top many times from the air . Dont need to climb up to see something that I have already seen

[gronk]

On the first trip the aborigines where telling us the reason they're requesting people not to climb it was that they felt responsible for mishaps that occurred to those that climbed. We thought fair enough, although others in our group still went up. It is just a personal decision.

We also walked around it in the heat and I wasn't greatly impressed. Anything that was anywhere near interesting was a no photography area due to being a sacred site, which cheesed me off.

With the passing of a few generations, a bit hard to tell what the "true" story is behind this sort of decision ?
But seeing as "we" gave it to them, we can't really complain.

Will this result in a sharp drop in tourist dollars ?? Who knows, but how much of the tourist dollar goes to the local tribe(s) anyway ?

[DrewXT]

Will this result in a sharp drop in tourist dollars ?? Who knows, but how much of the tourist dollar goes to the local tribe(s) anyway ?

We were having that discussion at work today...  Apparently over 90% ends up with the TLO's, with the taxpayer, errr government posting for most of the infrastructure works in these areas.

I've climbed the rock, and intend to again if it's going to be closed.  Hopefully my kids will get that opportunity as well before another Aussie icon is locked away from pie eating Aussies

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[BaseCamp]

At least they never bombed it....

Does anyone remember that crazy artist who made an application in the 70's to repeatedly fly over it - and bomb it with 20ltr tins of fluro paint....?

Groovy baby!!


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[edz]

Bugger em, I wont climb it ! thats too much hard work, Reckon I'll just fly in and take a walk around instead 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCYSWyHDpfU

[Rumpig]

If the final plan is to close it in 2019, I'll be sure to take my kids out there before then and climb it with them, even if it means staying there a few days until the climb is opened. If others don't want to climb it then it's no big deal to me, they are entitled to do what they like, but whilst it's a legal thing to do I'll be happy to do it, regardless of others trying  to make me feel guilty for doing something that is legal to do.

[rags]

Not At all, if the Rock had never been climbed at all, I could understand, You watch a tourist company will get the exclusive contract and for $200 up they will go, Craig

A bit like the Sydney Harbour bridge, although a tour company has the rights to hosting tours , you can climb it 365 days a year day or night on the Shitty of days including with fireworks going off around you.

Im glad I climbed it when I did.

I guess this way the locals will nolonger have to get off their backside to put the closed today sign up.they can now sit under the tree all day without introduction.

[Bigfish]

There will always be divided opinons about the decision.

Also I always find the " Its my country I have the right to go anywhere I like" attitude quite amusing 

Mark

Bit like the .."we will shut the roads to anyone when we feel like it" or the..."we will shut the stores down by putting a curse on it"....see it many times in the NT....I dont find it amusing though.   Worked in the Ayres Rock area plenty of times but never had a need to climb .  Whole tourism scene around the place is a bloody rip-off.

[McGirr]

Bit like the .."we will shut the roads to anyone when we feel like it" or the..."we will shut the stores down by putting a curse on it"....see it many times in the NT....I dont find it amusing though.   Worked in the Ayres Rock area plenty of times but never had a need to climb .  Whole tourism scene around the place is a bloody rip-off.

My comment was aimed at non indigenous people who say that. The biggest rip off is the northern land council who take a large percentage of any income from the indigenous. I am happy to pay to visit places no matter who owns it.

If Uluru was on land owned by non indigenous people I wonder if peoples opinons would change.

Mark

[alnjan]

We were having that discussion at work today...  Apparently over 90% ends up with the TLO's, with the taxpayer, errr government posting for most of the infrastructure works in these areas.

If it goes to the Land Owners or will the different other Aboriginal bodies, Land Councils etc take most of any monies raised.

[speewa158]

l have done the Ayres Rock thing , its a big pebble in the middle of nowhere .
Over Hyped /Overpriced & out there . Also its a long way from home  .
l drove & walked about a bit & was Totally underwhelmed with it all  .
lt must have been big when it was discovered back in the day ,,,,,,now  .
lf it floats your boat , more power to your arm  .
                                                 

[gronk]

If Uluru was on land owned by non indigenous people I wonder if peoples opinons would change.

Mark

Good question....no idea ?

It WAS on land owned by the commonwealth, until we gave it to them. I think any logical elder would agree that we don't own places like Ayres Rock, same as no one owns the 12 Apostles or the Great Barrier Reef or Ningaloo Reef.

BUT, we gave it to them, so we can't really complain with whatever they want to do with it..

[gronk]

l have done the Ayres Rock thing , its a big pebble in the middle of nowhere .
Over Hyped /Overpriced & out there . Also its a long way from home  .
l drove & walked about a bit & was Totally underwhelmed with it all  .
lt must have been big when it was discovered back in the day ,,,,,,now  .
lf it floats your boat , more power to your arm  .
                                                 

Ha ha.....been there twice...couldn't climb it because of a fear of heights, but each time I was blown away from the sheer majesty of the thing !! It really is one of the wonders of the world !!
If I wasn't afraid of heights, I woulda been up it like a rat up a drain pipe !!

[speewa158]

Gronk  Your a bit big to do the   , Rat Up A Drain pipe Thing   .   

[BTMNDR]

Good question....no idea ?

It WAS on land owned by the commonwealth, until we gave it to them. I think any logical elder would agree that we don't own places like Ayres Rock, same as no one owns the 12 Apostles or the Great Barrier Reef or Ningaloo Reef.

BUT, we gave it to them, so we can't really complain with whatever they want to do with it..

It was only on land owned by the commonwealth because the commonwealth deemed the Aboriginals to be non-citizens of their own country. And of course the poms “stole the place” in 1770.

[edz]

Probably a good thing then the  Spanish,  Dutch and all the others that hit the rough end of the pineapple first,  thought the place wasnt  worth a cracker to have Huh !  ..
Anyone remember  the Mayans , Aztecs and Inca's, and we all know how well that ended for the locals ..

[SimpleSi]

If the final plan is to close it in 2019, I'll be sure to take my kids out there before then and climb it with them...

Same.  Climbed it close to 20yrs ago.  Kids were a bit too young when we visited it in 2015, but time to plan the mid 2019 trip.

What's next? Ubirr? Kakadu? Fraser island?

[Rumpig]

Same.  Climbed it close to 20yrs ago.  Kids were a bit too young when we visited it in 2015, but time to plan the mid 2019 trip.

What's next? Ubirr? Kakadu? Fraser island?

probably...luckily the kids and I have been to those already and did what we wanted to do there...lol.

[krisandkev]

Probably a good thing then the  Spanish,  Dutch and all the others that hit the rough end of the pineapple first,  thought the place wasnt  worth a cracker to have Huh !  ..
Anyone remember  the Mayans , Aztecs and Inca's, and we all know how well that ended for the locals ..

And imagine where we would be today if Japan won the war!  I don't think the aboriginals (or us) would have much say on land ownership and usuage. But like we have said, every country has been invaded through history and it is still happening around the world.  Move on...  Kevin

[Bird]

Wondering if its the old come in suckers ploy...

Numbers are down... tell everyone we are closing it...  everyone turns up and spends money...