Situated in the middle of Australia’s desert, Uluru, better known as Ayers Rock, is an immense red rock which has been one of the strongest symbols of the country. The government has recently lifted restrictions that were implemented in honour of the Aboriginal belief that the site is sacred.
The huge rock is 348 metres high with a circumference of around 9.4 kilometres. Located in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, the formation is an important location for the rituals of Aboriginal culture. The site’s popularity among tourists, along with the freedom they took to climb to its summit, shocked the native people, which in turn convinced the government to prohibit climbing the landmark. Ayers Rock was visited by 350 000 visitors annually, and roughly 100 000 of them were climbing the rock each year, half of them being from abroad.
However, pressure from the Australian tourism sector, which is already weakened by the global economic crisis, has resulted in a temporary lift of the ban.
Peter Garrett, Australia’s Environment Minister and former Midnight Oil frontman, will impose regulations to minimize the number of authorised climbers in the meantime.