Uluru (Ayers Rock) Climb to Close?

~ The big Australian travel story of the past 24 hours is a proposal to close the controversial climb to the top of Uluru/Ayers Rock.

‘Controversial’ because the traditional owners of Uluru have been lobbying for this to happen for many years, while tourists, travel industry operators, the government of the Northern Territory (and now the Federal Opposition), have fought against the proposal.

A draft management plan for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park was released yesterday, recommending a ban for cultural and environmental reasons.

Currently, tourists visiting Uluru are left to make there own decisions regarding whether or not to climb Uluru. Effectively, they must decide for themselves whether they will ignore the wishes of the traditional Aboriginal owners, or whether they will respect them. Now that choice may be taken out of their hands.

Donald Fraser, a traditional owner of Uluru and a former chairman of the Uluru Kata Tjuta Board of Management has long been disturbed by the sight of people climbing the monolith.

“It's a very sensitive area,” he said in a radio interview. “There's a lot of things involved in climbing. Firstly the danger of people falling down and killing themselves,” Mr. Fraser said. And his concerns are real. More than 35 people have died while climbing Uluru, often in extreme heat. In fact, there is already a ban on climbing the rock whenever the temperature reaches 35C (95F).

Uluru is visited by around 350,000 people a year, about half of whom are from overseas. According to the Government's figures, about 100,000 people climb the 346-metre high rock each year against the wishes of the traditional owners.

However, some operators already ask people on their tours not to climb the rock.

Phil Taylor, a tour operator based in Alice Springs said, “We respect the wishes of the traditional owners, and explain to the people the cultural significance that Uluru has for the Anangu people. As a result of that, our figures show that 95 per cent of the passengers that we carry do not climb the rock,” Mr. Taylor said.

Of course there is a lot more to Uluru than just the chance to climb it.

Many tourists go to Uluru seeking to interact with Indigenous people and to be exposed to their culture. Simply climbing Uluru does not give them that opportunity. In fact, most visitors will never be given the chance to even talk with the traditional owners during their visit to the site.

Traditional owner, Donald Fraser says the idea isn't to drive tourists away, but to give tourists and Indigenous people a richer experience in the park.

“There's a lot of other things for the people to see; walk around and learn culture and everything else in a steady way, not only the climb. We're not hunting the tourists away, we're inviting them to come and learn about us and about our culture,” Mr. Fraser said.

Another traditional owner of Uluru, Vince Forrester, said he was relieved a ban on climbing the iconic rock was one step closer to becoming a reality. He said the rock was sacred to the local Aboriginal people and traditional owners have wanted the climb closed since the park was handed back to them in 1985.

Mr Forrester said tourism operators should not be concerned about the closure. "The visitors will get more information by walking around the base of Uluru and getting told the stories which Aboriginal people are available to do," he said.

Commenting on some of the environmental concerns, the Director of National Parks, Peter Cochrane, said there were concern about erosion, and "…there are no toilets on the top of the rock. So human behaviour up there means that we get run-off fouling water holes, and having impacts on plants and animals and the health of Aboriginal kids who play in those water holes," he said.

Clearly, Mr Cochrane was being very circumspect here. This behaviour is akin to visitors urinating against the ‘Wailing Wall’ in Jerusalem, or defecating in the grounds of the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

Given that Uluru is probably the most sacred of all Aboriginal sacred sites, it is hard to know how one could treat their culture with less respect – or offend them more.

The draft management plan, which is open to public comment for the next two months, notes that recent surveys show 98 per cent of people would not be put off visiting the area if they were not allowed to climb the rock. The plan could come into effect within 18 months, but must first go through a consultation process and be signed off by Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett.

More Information
Listen to an ABC radio interview about the proposed ban here…

Or you can read more here...

And here… Plan to ban climbers from Uluru…

Image courtesy of AAP

Off The Beaten Track In Australia

~ How To Get Off The Beaten Track In Australia

by Bruce Haxton

For many gap year travellers Australia may not seem to be, culturally, a million miles from home. The food, language and obsession with sport might remind you of home, but there are plenty of hidden sights and experiences here that will surprise you.

Famous sights such as The Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Alice Springs and the rest are all worth visiting; the best sort of travelling is discovering something almost no one else has found. It's not guaranteed that you'll feel like exactly like Captain Cook, but this list should provide a way to escape the crowds and still have a great time.

1. Kangaroo Island, South Australia

A brilliant way to get away from the crowds on Bondi Beach, Kangaroo Island is (unsurprisingly) home to Kangaroos as well as wallabies, koalas, seals and penguins! The surrounding water has protected its fauna from decimation; native forest and bush fill the interior and only give way on the edges to rugged cliffs and deep blue waves. Don't miss out on the local delicacy of Ligurjan honey and jam made from the island's fruits, and maybe even a little homemade wine.

2. Cape York Peninsula, Queensland

This one really is for the most determined of explorers. The Cape York Peninsula is at the tip of Australia's coiled tail and certainly packs a sting. The long strip rising in the north of Queensland offers the best 4x4 driving in the country. Watch out (literally) for crocodiles, rainforests and the odd town (though blink and you'll miss them). If this sounds like your kind of adventure then take a look at Lonely Planet's Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef Guide and see what you're letting yourself in for, and make sure you get a good map!

3. The Great Ocean Road, Victoria

Hire a car or better yet a jeep and burn some rubber for the full open road experience. This particular route lies between Torquay and Warrnambool along the Southwest coast and offers nearly 300km of uninterrupted coastal beauty, from huge cliffs, raging surf, peaceful bays, lush rainforests, to an abundance of fascinating wildlife. Remember to keep your eyes on the road; it's a long way down! It's worth thinking about getting someone else insured so you can share the view and leave enough time to stop and explore en route.

4. Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains have been literally a chill out paradise for years; the air cools as you rise and feels like the hiking equivalent of jumping in a swimming pool. It's not just the air that lures people up here; the area boasts incredible scenery and a bevy of rock formations, waterfalls and bushwalks. The eucalyptus oil evaporating from the carpet of gum trees here creates a blue haze which gives the region its name as well as its enduring charm. From the ground, the saddle, the harness or the canoe, the Blue Mountains seem a world away.

5. The Adelaide Hills, South Australia

The Adelaide Hills have remained pleasantly underdeveloped aside from the abundance of lush woods, walking routes and a rich covering of flora and fauna. Follow any road you like and you'll find dipping valleys, gently bobbing hills and vineyards. Great food is never far away from great wine and here is no exception; roadside fruit and vegetable stalls and fantastic restaurants will keep your energy up.

6. Nature conservation working holiday

It doesn't get more off the beaten track that heading off into the wilds of Australia. Volunteering with a company is a great way to see the best of Australia's natural wonders and make a difference too. Meaningful travel company i-to-i have recently launched a new trip that will give travellers the chance to spend a hassle free gap year in Australia. Not only will the company sort out al the paper work they'll give you a years access to their job placement service and a week working at a conservation project at any one of 20 destinations across the country. For more information, take a look here…

About the Author

Bruce Haxton writes: I'm totally passionate about travel, it's been my life and work for a good few years! My travel adventures haven't really been about seeing monuments etc but far more about people and getting off the beaten track. I would like to share my many experiences and offer a little advice if I can to fellow travellers or anyone who is just about to set off on a life changing trip!

Never to Old to Live and Learn

~ Yesterday, I signed up for a ten week Spanish For Fun and Travel course at an Adelaide based institution, the WEA. The Workers' Educational Association was founded in 1913, and is Australia's largest non-government adult community education organisation. It provides learning opportunities for anyone aged 15 years or older in its nearly 1800 short courses – for which the Association receives over 30,000 enrolments annually.

Using a concession card my ten week by two hour course cost me just AUD$112.00. That breaks down to a mere AUD$5.60 per hour! Even at the full price of AUD$124.00 the course is still incredibly cheap. Further down the track I may even sign up for a French or German language course. And why not? At the above prices, learning a language for ‘fun and travel’ is pretty much affordable to everyone.

I’ve decided to tackle Spanish first because next year I want to drive across America. I will probably start on the west coast at Los Angeles and either drive Route 66 to Chicago and New York, or drive across the south towards New Orleans and then up the east coast to New York.

After spending eight weeks in New York City last year, it quickly became apparent that a basic knowledge of Spanish would be very useful – not just in New York but wherever I happened to be in the United States. Of course it will be even more useful if I decide to take a side trip into Mexico during my road trip.

I know there are regional differences between Spanish as it is spoken in Spain as compared to Mexico (and indeed throughout Latin America), but I figure the little I learn during this course will be better than the complete lack of knowledge I now have.

From the USA I will be going to Europe, and since I have never been to Spain, I am considering a trip to that beautiful country too.

Life is for living and learning, folks, and now that I have the time, I plan to live and learn and travel as far and wide as my finances will allow.

By the way, the WEA is not unique to Adelaide. There are similar institutions elsewhere in Australia and overseas, so if you want embark on a journey of life-long learning, check out the sites below, or ask at your local public library for information about similar organisations in your city.

Links to Associated Sites

• WEA Sydney
• WEA UK
• WEA Illawarra
• Council of Adult Education Melbourne
• Adult Learning Association
• International Federation of Workers' Education Associations (IFWEA)