Director of National Parks
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park - Temporary closure of Uluru climb
30 September 2011
Download the Media Release
- Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park - Temporary closure of Uluru climb (PDF - 20KB) - a html version of this release is below
Temporary closure of Uluru climb
At the request of traditional owners, the Director of National Parks will close the Uluru climb for one day on Wednesday 5 October 2011, as a mark of respect for a senior elder who has passed away.
The senior elder had a long association with the Uluru region and made a significant contribution to cultural tourism in the park.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta Board of Management chairman Harry Wilson has asked for understanding by visitors during this sad time for Anangu.
All other parts of the park will be open as usual. Visitors will be able to drive on the road around Uluru and undertake the spectacular walk around the base.
At 8am visitors can join a ranger-guided tour of the Mala Walk which will start in the car park at the base of Uluru.
The climb was last closed for cultural reasons on 22 July 2007.
This is the sixth time the climb has been closed for cultural reasons since 1985 when the park was handed back to its traditional owners.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park was first listed as a World Heritage Area in 1987 for its natural values, and then again in 1994 as a cultural landscape, representing an outstanding example of traditional human land use and for its living traditions and beliefs of outstanding universal significance. Anangu continue to maintain their relationship to country and looking after Tjukurpa at Uluru. The park is jointly managed by the Australian Government and the park's traditional owners.
Media contact: Miranda Schooneveldt on 0428 630 910