Hundreds of tourists descending on Uluru each day to climb the sacred rock before it closes are leaving a trail of human waste, nappies and rubbish, sparking outrage among traditional owners.
The number of climbers has soared from around 140 a day in 2017, when a climbing ban was announced, to between 300 and 500 daily visitors. A photograph shared with the ABC shows a long line of people snaking up the rock, with cars parked for a kilometre on either side of the road leading to the base.
“It makes me sick looking at this photo at the disrespect and disregard shown for the traditional owners’ wishes,” said a spokesperson for the Darug Custodian Aboriginal Corporation. “Not only do people climb it but they defecate, urinate and discard nappies and rubbish on it.”
Stephen Schwer, chief executive of Tourism Central Australia, said the influx of drive travel had led to an “influx of waste”. Lindy Severin, owner of a cattle ranch and campsite near Uluru, said thousands of campervans had been dumping toilet tanks on the roadside, adding: “There’s just rubbish everywhere, including used toilet paper.”
The massive sandstone monolith, also known as Ayers Rock, is sacred to the Anangu people, who have long campaigned against climbing. A sign at the base asks visitors to respect their law and culture by not climbing, noting the danger: “Too many people have died while attempting to climb Uluru.”
The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Board voted unanimously in 2017 to ban climbing from 26 October 2019. “It is an extremely important place, not a playground or theme park like Disneyland,” said chairman and senior traditional owner Sammy Wilson. “We welcome tourists here. We are not stopping tourism, just this activity.” Tourists will still be able to walk around the base and take cultural workshops.
