Climbing Uluru

The local Aṉangu do not climb Uluru because of its great spiritual significance. They request that visitors do not climb the rock, partly due to the path crossing a sacred traditional Dreamtime track, and also due to a sense of responsibility for the safety of visitors. The visitors guide says "the climb is not prohibited, but we prefer that, as a guest on Aṉangu land, you will choose to respect our law and culture by not climbing."

According to a 2010 publication, just over one-third of all visitors to the park climb Uluru; a high percentage of these were children. A chain handhold added in 1964 and extended in 1976 makes the hour-long climb easier, but it is still a steep, 800 m (0.5 mi) hike to the top, where it can be quite windy. It is recommended those who are unfit, suffer from vertigo or medical conditions restricting exercise, do not attempt it. Climbing Uluru is generally closed to the public when high winds are present at the top. There have been at least 37 deaths relating to recreational climbing since such incidents began being recorded.

On 11 December 1983, the Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke, promised to hand back the land title to the Aṉangu traditional custodians and caretakers and agreed to the community's 10-point plan which included forbidding the climbing of Uluru. The government, however, set access to climb Uluru and a 99-year lease, instead of the previously agreed upon 50-year lease, as conditions before the title was officially given back to the Aṉangu on 26 October 1985.

The Aboriginal traditional owners of Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park (Nguraritja) and the Federal Government's Director of National Parks share decision-making on the management of Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park. Under their joint Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park Management Plan 2010–20, issued by the Director of National Parks under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, clause 6.3.3 provides that the Director and the Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa Board of Management work towards closure of the climb and, additionally, provides that it will close upon any of three conditions being met: there are "adequate new visitor experiences", less than 20 per cent of visitors make the climb or the "critical factors" in decisions to visit are "cultural and natural experiences". Despite cogent evidence the second condition was met by July 2013, the climb remained open.

Several controversial incidents on top of Uluru in 2010, including a striptease, golfing and nudity, led to renewed calls for banning the climb.

On 1 November 2017, the Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park board voted unanimously to prohibit climbing Uluru, with the ban to take effect in October 2019.

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