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Widespread Climbing Ban in the Grampians Announced

Myth, superstition and petty bureaucracy close access to more of our Natural Wonders.  Rock and Ice Magazine report on the announcement of widespread bans to climbing in the world famous Grampians. 
“On Tuesday this week various members of the climbing community, including representatives of the Victorian Climbing Club, Western Victoria Climbing Club and others, met with Parks Victoria [the government body that oversees Grampians National Park]. There we were informed that eight areas in the western Grampians are going to be closed to climbers. In the next two weeks, signs will be put at the closed areas and the closures will be policed with fines.”
From the Herald Sun:
Popular climbing in Grampians National Park to shut sites over cultural concerns “While we were not given specifics, we can be fairly certain that the areas will primarily be in the Victoria Range and will encompass many of the best crags in the Grampians,” a statement from the group says. Rumours about the climbing bans …
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The Last Logbook: Part 1 - Cover and first 12 pages

The Last Logbook of Ayers Rock.

This series of posts showcase the contents of the Last Logbook on Ayers Rock.
Part 1: Cover and first 12 pages.

Last July when I climbed the Rock with my daughters I left a blank 192 exercise book in a tupperware container at the summit memorial. The front cover looked like this:


The text on the cover reads:

Signing the summit logbook has been an important cultural institution at Ayers Rock since the 1890s. Sadly, since the late 1980s Park Management have denied Australians and International visitors the opportunity to record their achievement.
The first climbers to leave a note marking their achievement were Allan Breadon and W Oliver on March 4, 1897: “We added a few stones to the pile and left two wax vesta boxes (tins) with names and date thereon.”
Glass coffee jars held the names of climbers between 1932 and the 1950s. In September 1950 the jars held the names of about 70 climbers. 
Formal log books, termed the “Achievers’ book”, replaced the assorted c…
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Save the Climb!

Go fund me campaign launched.


Go to our GO FUND ME PAGE TO HELP
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Cultural desecration at the lowest dollar

Parks Australia have released a tender for the destruction of Australia Cultural Heritage at Ayers Rock. The items are subject of a nomination for National Heritage listing.
Philistines!
Parks Australia, contrary to their obligations clearly marked out in the lease agreement of the Park, contrary to the wishes of the Australian Public are requesting lowest price bids for the destruction of the following Nationally Significant Memorials:

Ayers Rock Summit Monument, the most photographed summit marker on the planet, erected with care by Derek Roff and his group of Rangers in December 1970. It will be just 13 months shy of its 50th anniversary as it gets ripped apart.


Ayers Rock Safety chain: this wonderfully simple device opened the glory of the World Heritage listed views to millions and millions of visitors from all over the world - men, women, families.


Ayers Rock Painted trail line, has safely guided millions from the top of the chain to the summit monument and back again.

Ayers Rock mem…
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Ayers Rock - World Heritage in Danger

Text of letter sent to the UN World Heritage Committee. In banning climbing of Ayers Rock Parks Australia and the Park Board risk having the Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park removed from the World Heritage List.
Climbing route and lookout location in map submitted with the 1987 World Heritage Nomination.
 Ms Mechtild Rössler
DIRECTOR OF THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE CENTRE
World Heritage Centre
UNESCO
7, place de Fontenoy
75352 Paris 07 SP
FRANCE

RE: WORLD HERITAGE IN DANGER: CLOSURE OF ULURU/AYERS ROCK CLIMB BREACHES WORLD HERITAGE LISTING 

Dear Ms Rössler,
In 1987 the Australian Government nominated Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park for the World Heritage List based on its outstanding Landscape values. The nomination was accepted by the UNWHC and the site was proclaimed a WORLD HERITAGE SITE in 1987.

World Heritage sites are places that are important to and belong to everyone, regardless of where they are located or who owns the land on which they occur. They are an irreplaceable legacy that …
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If Ayers Rock Climbing Ban criteria were applied elsewhere...

If Ayers Rock Climbing Ban criteria were applied elsewhere..
The criteria for banning the Climb up Ayers Rock are outlined in the current management plan for the Park. Section 6.3.3(c) states:
The climb will be permanently closed when:

the Board, in consultation with the tourism industry, is satisfied that adequate new visitor experiences have been successfully established, or the proportion of visitors climbing falls below 20 per cent, or the cultural and natural experiences on offer are the critical factors when visitors make their decision to visit the park. As we outline in "A Guide to Climbing Ayers Rock" none of these highly subjective criteria have actually been met. There is no new visitor experience that can match the Climb, the number of people climbing remains above 40% sometimes over 80%, and the Climb remains a major factor in visitors coming to Ayers Rock. 
What if those Section 6.3.3(c) criteria were applied to other tourist sites, activities or organisations i…
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Climbing Tales #8 celebrating 60 on top of the Rock

Climbing Tales 
This series celebrates Ayers Rock climbing experiences posted online.
#8 My unforgettable 60th-birthday journey Motti Verses at the summit - "It was an experience of a lifetime." 
Climbing Ayers Rock is a bucket list item for so many visitors to Australia's desert heart. Israeli writer Motti Verses is Head of Public Relations for Hilton hotels in Israel – Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem and Hilton Tel Aviv. His life affirming tale of climbing Ayers Rock recently published in the Jerusalem Post.

Motti Writes:  "I’ve always believed that when people enter a new decade of their lives, they should do something meaningful to celebrate this important milestone. When I turned 40 and then 50, I organized extraordinary social events to which I invited all my friends. But as I got closer to 60, my mind began turning in a new direction. It became clear to me that I wanted to take an unforgettable journey somewhere in the world. Of all the places I’d learned about, I chose…
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The Man from Hong Kong

The Climb up Ayers Rock is ingrained into Australian Culture. It has been described in Books, Poems, Photographs, Paintings and forms the core element of thousands of personal stories of triumph and tragedy. The world's most famous Climb has even featured on the big screen in an action packed Australian Kung Fu classic starring Yu Wang, George Lazenby, Hugh Keays-Byrnes and Rebecca Gilling.
Karate kick on the Climb! In 1975 the action movie The Man from Hong Kong lit the outback alight 4 years before Mad Max. The opening scenes feature Ayers Rock including a spectacular fight sequence on the Climbing Spur and car chase on the approach roads. The movie is a must see for aficionados of Australian cinema history and for anyone interested in the world's most famous rock Climb.
Cop this sorry stone you Narc! Sadly the short sighted owners and administrators would never allow this wonderful piece of entertainment to be filmed at Ayers Rock these days. If you are wondering why the Clim…
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National Heritage List: Climb and Associated Infrastructure to be nominated

National Heritage List: Climb and Associated Infrastructure to be nominated 
Arguably the Climb and its associated physical infrastructure: the Chain, the world's most photographed summit monument and the 5 memorial plaques are already protected by existing World Heritage Listing for the National Parks Natural and Cultural values.

The World Heritage values include: 

the remarkable and unique natural geological and landform features formed by the huge monoliths of Uluru and Kata Tjuta set in a contrasting sand plain environment;the immense size and structural integrity of Uluru which is emphasised by its sheer, steep sides rising abruptly from the surrounding plain;the relative simplicity of the monolith of Uluru and its contrasts with the many domes of Kata Tjuta; andthe exceptional natural beauty of the view fields in which the contrasts and the scenic grandeur of the monoliths create a landscape of outstanding beauty of symbolic importance to both Anangu and European cultures. The…
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Tourists rush to climb Uluru before ban

Article in The Times by Bernard Lagan 21 December
Tourists are flocking to Uluru before a climbing ban comes into place in nine months’ time.
The red rock monolith in central Australia, formerly known as Ayers Rock, will be protected by sacred aboriginal site laws and anyone attempting the climb will be liable to fines of up to £33,660 and two years in jail.
However, the impending ban has triggered legal action by outdoor adventure groups and threats to stage an illegal mass climb in protest. There has also been a marked increase in the number of people visiting the site as the deadline draws nearer. Up to 500 people are making the climb every day — up from 50 to 140 a day — despite appeals to respect the wishes of the local Anangu Aboriginal…
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