The most iconic natural land form in Australia is now off limits to climbers

Hundreds of thousands of people flock to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park every year to take in the grandeur of a world heritage-listed icon. The final climber descended from the monolith on Friday, with the route officially closed to visitors from Saturday October 26th. Since the climbing ban was announced two years ago, there has been a rush of tourists eager to climb the rock.

Source: AAP

Saturday marks 34 years since ‘The Handback,’ a pivotal moment in the land rights struggle which saw Anangu receive back the deeds to their homelands in 1985.   Sacred to many for millennia, Uluru has played host to colourful and at times disrespectful guests, after tourists began visiting the area in the 1930s. In 2017 the park's Board of Management decided crucial triggers to close the climb had been met.  They included that less than 20 per cent of visitors actually climbed Uluru and that the cultural and natural experiences on offer were the main reasons people visit the park.  The climb was also dangerous. At least 35 people are known to have lost their lives trying to scale Uluru