Right to Climb

The goons of Uluru When you smash the small things, big things follow. Section 17-2 of the Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park lease agreement "covenants that the flora, fauna, cultural heritage and natural environment of the park shall be preserved, managed and maintained according to the best comparable management practices established for National Parks anywhere in the world or where no comparable practices exist, to the highest standards practicable."  I have always contended that the Ayers Rock Summit Climb and its associated infrastructure are items of important cultural heritage, protected by the lease and the 1987 World Heritage Agreement. Parks Australia has breached the lease and its obligations under the World Heritage agreement by banning the climb and destroying the summit monument, chain and memorial plaques.  Through some Orwellian doublespeak Parks Australia contends that its actions are legal. For want of a seven-figure sum of money, their warped interpret...

NEWS ALERT: TIME CAPSULE FOUND IN AYERS ROCK SUMMIT MONUMENT Workers engaged by Parks Australia to destroy the summit monument in breach of the 1970 World Heritage Listing have found a time capsule hidden in the structure. When opened it contained early climbing logbooks, contemporary guide books, climbing souvenirs, a signed letter by then Territory Administrator  Fred Chaney marking the occasion, a copy of Bill Harney's book "To Ayers Rock and Beyond" along with photos of early climbing guides.   We understand the material is being shipped to the National Museum for further assessment and study. C opy of 1967 Guidebook found in the Capsule. The directional plaque that provides information about the distant ranges visible from the summit is of significance as it is shown in maps, along with the climbing route, that form part of the 1987 World Heritage nomination. It seems the Climb, and the monument were integral to gaining access to and interpreting those World H...

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”, ...

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...

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 Eu...

Remonumenting Ayers Rock Wonderful post by Xnatmapper Paul Wise describing the remonumenting of Ayers Rock in 1970. Uluru - Ayers Rock Geodetic Trigonometrical Station – its 1970 remonumenting Members of the 1970 Northern Territory Reserves Board monument construction team work on erecting the summit monument.  Left to right George Page-Sharpe, Derek Roff (Head Ranger), Ian Cawood and Darrel Toon. The Park Board have indicated they intend to remove the monument, chain and 5 memorial plaques from the Rock after the Climb is banned next year. If you care about these important items of Australian Cultural heritage and would prefer that they were left in place, write to your local member or the Prime Minister. See also our posts: Ayers Rock Geodetic Station construction 1970 History of the Ayers Rock Summit Marker: a pictorial record.

The Hon. Melissa Price MP Minister for the Environment and Energy Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600. Dear Minister Cultural Vandals rip out the Heart of OZ I have been informed that the Board of the Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Park in collaboration with Parks Australia intend to effectively destroy four internationally significant cultural monuments at Ayers Rock once they ban visitors climbing it in October 2019. These include: the summit monument,  five metal plates placed in memory of people who have died climbing the rock,  the chain,  and of course banning The Climb itself.  It seems all trace of non-Anangu history and culture is to be wiped from the Rock, and the Federal Government are standing by and letting it happen.  The bronze directional plaque and summit monument  celebrate the work of the Division of National Mapping and the Reserves Board of the Northern Territory. The bronze plaque was cast in Melbourne and erected in Decembe...