Right to Climb

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 b

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 irrepla

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

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 pla

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 wonder

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; and the 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 Europea