Ayers Rock: closing the climb

The climb should not be banned. To pretend that their myths are true, does not benefit the Anangu. It divorces them from reality. The creationist beliefs are more pervasive than other fundamentalist beliefs, and harder to compartmentalise. It is a spiritualism that is hard to reconcile with modernity. It is a cultural loyalty that must inevitably lead to a degree of epistemic confusion. The veneration of such superstitions is counter-productive and actually serves to perpetuate their relative disadvantage.

To climb the Rock is a natural human aspiration. The views from the summit are extraordinary. The climb is an exhilarating physical experience. It is the best way to appreciate fully the surrounding landscape, geology and geomorphology. To the visitor informed of the geology, the Rock is truly a source of inspiration, awe and wonder.

Now, we are denying the wishes of about a hundred thousand people per year who would climb the Rock, which really does no harm to the Rock or to anyone, in favour of the spiritual perceptions of the maybe 300 people who live at Mutitjulu, a closed community. The value of the site as an attraction has been reduced, and its full tourist potential has been neglected. This is a loss to the community and to Australia.

Some may celebrate the ban. Others mourn the loss of something also sacred to them, but in a different way.