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Australia's Big Red Rock: To Climb or Not To Climb?

One of Australia's biggest tourist attractions, Uluru (AKA the rock formerly known as Ayers Rock), is at the center of a political controversy right now, and it's all about the age-old question: to climb or not to climb?

The Aboriginal people who are the traditional owners of big, red Uluru have never liked people climbing on it as it's a sacred place to them. It especially pains them when tourists die on the rock, which has happened more than 30 times over the years. Midnight Oil frontman-turned-politician Peter Garrett, now the Minister for Environment in Australia, agrees with them, and suggested closing the climb to tourists permanently.

But it looks like tourism dollars are stronger than respect for sacred sites, because the Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, thinks the 100,000 visitors who climb the rock every year should be allowed to keep doing it. So it looks like you don't need to hurry Down Under too fast, although for tourists who agree with Garrett there's already a roaring trade in tourist paraphernalia saying "I chose not to climb Uluru".

Related Stories:
· Uluru Ban Merely a Proposal: Garrett [The Australian]
· Rudd Opposes Ban on Climbing Uluru [The Age]
· UFO Travel: The Real Origins of Uluru [Jaunted]

[Photo: melalouise]