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Re-opening the Ayers Rock climb

 Uluru-Kata Tjuta Board of Management

Lasseter Highway

Yulara NT 0872 


Subject : Ayers Rock Summit Climb

To the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Board of Management and Land Owners

We are looking to open a dialogue with Park Owners about reopening the Ayers Rock climb. 

The world-renowned walk (climb for some) to the summit of our greatest natural wonder –  Ayers Rock, was closed to the public on the basis of myths and misinformation on Saturday 26 October 2019. This despite promises given at the time of the handover that there would be no change to tourist access! 

It's impossible to put a dollar figure on the social cost of the closure - the loss of awe and wonder for 1,000,000s of visitors, but we can estimate the economic damage and it is extraordinary.

Figures from Parks Australia show a three year average (2014-2016) of 295,000 visitors prior to the ban being announced in late 2017. Visitor numbers exploded between 2017 and the end of 2019 as 1000s and 1000s of people tried to climb before the ban - figures for 2018-2019 show a whopping 395,338 park visitors, just shy of the Sydney Olympic year (2000) record of 396,456 as 1000s of people climbed before the ban came into force.  Since the climb closure, tourism in the red centre has languished. It was smashed by ridiculous travel restrictions during the covid pandemic. Visitor numbers post-covid with the climbing ban in place (2022-2025), average 251,000 visitors per year, down 44,000 visitors annually since the prior the ban on climbing being announced (figures are from Parks Australia Annual reports). 

The simple joy of walking the track to the summit of Ayers Rock and basking in the glorious desert scenery was the essential red centre experience Australia was known for; for decades drawing in visitors from around the globe.  It seems it's considerably less attractive to tourists with the climbing ban in place. Which other country shuts off its natural wonders to the public and so eagerly shoots itself in the foot and causes so much damage for irrational reasons?

The cost for red centre travel in Australia is extraordinary. Average travel and accommodation costs for a "budget" three day Ayers Rock visit are put at $1000 per person (AI), higher for better accommodation and more tour options, and up to $4000 for a luxury visit that might include a helicopter flight near the Rock. 

Uluru has now become a sad circus as Parks Australia attempt to replace the simple majesty of the "Climb" experience with a side show alley of carnival show attractions. The park is being turned into a crass Disneyland-like experience -drone shows that drownout the starry sky (from $310 per adult), plastic lights littering the desert dunes ($50) and segways  ($190) around the "base".  The ridiculous bans on photography remain and further diminish the experience for visitors ("no one owns the copyright on these beautiful natural formations" - Ken Duncan 2010).

 


The Uluru "Blimp" - SkyShip Uluru (2018) – along with other Disneyland like attractions- it failed to deliver! 

Using the budget figure of $1000 per visitor, the total annual loss to the economy due to the climbing ban given the drop in visitation, is at least $44,000,000 (yes $44 million!) per annum. Lost income to Mutijulu owners (25% of the $38 gate fee) is $418k per annum - I'm sure that loss is being felt. This loss is compounded as International Visitors shun Australia for other destinations where they are more welcome.

With common sense rational decisions being made about public access to the summits in the Glass House Mountains, and Mt Warning, it is long overdue that we look towards reopening our greatest tourist asset. Not only for economic reasons, but also to allow the world back into one of the most awe-inspiring experiences of the natural world on the planet.

We plan to submit a detailed proposal for reopening the Climb to Owners in the latter half of 2026 and look forward to your positive response to this exciting opportunity to reinvigorate the Park, provide economic and social benefits to Owners and re-establish Ayers Rock as the premier tourist destination in Australia.

Since the handover in 1985 management of the Park has been monopolised by Commonwealth Government bureaucrats in Parks Australia to the detriment of Park Owners. This has cost the local community dearly in their capacity to manage their land in their best interests and provide opportunities for the community to flourish and enjoy the full benefits of their ownership. 

The current lease agreement provides a pittance to the Owners and while it continues it ensures the local community will never realise their full potential as managers of their own land.

 In conjunction with reopening the Climb we propose Owners remove Parks Australia from management responsibilities and set about managing the Park on their own, thereby fully realising the potential this amazing place offers. We offer our services in helping the community realise the reality and immense benefits of self-management. 


Regards

Marc Hendrickx


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