The END of the CLIMB

Indigenous tourism opportunities are growing around Uluru as the deadline approaches for the ban on climbing the huge Central Australian rock.

STORY BY SAM DUNCAN

HEAD OUT ON FOOT just north of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park’s Cultural Centre, along the Liru walk, and you’re soon in mulga forest – a typically stunted and harsh-looking stand of trees that, I’m told, is frequently softened by bursts of pretty wildflowers after rain. Look west and there it is: Uluru. To some it’s Ayers Rock, the name explorer William Gosse gave it in 1873. To many, it’s a place of beauty and spirituality that’s been the ancestral heartland of the Anangu people for more than 30,000 years. For 400,000 visitors annually from around the world, it’s a bucket-list destination. This morning I can see about 80 people up on it. The large number indicates conditions are favourable but also reflects the surge in tourists visiting and scaling the site…

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Australian Geographic (Digital) - 1 Issue, July/August 2019

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