Tourists climb Uluru for the final time before permanent closure

Large crowds scrambled up Australia’s Uluru for the last time on Friday.

Tourists have climbed Uluru in Australia’s Northern Territory on the last day before it closes permanently.

Rangers closed the climb indefinitely at 4:00pm (ACST) on Friday, as the final climbers reached the peak.

Uluru, also known as The Red Rock, is a sacred site to the Anangu people, who have long implored tourists not to climb.

The have asked people to respect their spiritual beliefs and refrain from climbing Uluru because of its strong cultural importance to them and their history.

Janet Ishikawa flew from her home in the US to make the climb on the final day.

“It’s a total overreaction. All of a sudden they want to take ownership of all this stuff,” the American told CBS News.

“They say you shouldn’t climb because of all this sacred stuff. I can still respect it and climb it.”

This view is shared by some locals who fear the tourist numbers and the local economy will decline.

The climbing ban is now in effect and anyone caught breaking the ban will be heavily fined.