Climbing Uluru in the desert of Australia's Northern Territory is now banned. Uluru is a sacred site in indigenous Australian culture. It is the world's largest rock and used to be called Ayers Rock. It is now off-limits to climbers because of its cultural importance to the local people. It has attracted tourists for decades. Tourists went there in large numbers to climb the rock. However, it is a sacred site in Anangu culture. The Anangu people campaigned for the ban.
Most visitors respected an initial ban in 2017. Only 16 per cent of visitors climbed it. A local man who grew up in a tiny village near Uluru spoke about its importance. He said: "That place is a very sacred place. That's like our church." He added: "We don't want you to climb the rock. All of our stories are on the rock." He believes tourists who climbed Uluru had no respect. Another resident said he would not be allowed to climb Australia's parliament.