Задание 38800: Why did most visitors to Uluru start returning bits of the rock to the National Park?

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Why did most visitors to Uluru start returning bits of the rock to the National Park?

2 вопрос

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Uluru, known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in Central Australia. Physically, it is an inselberg, which is a hill that rises from a plain. Uluru is a huge red stone, which turns into a magical vibrant pink as the sun rises and yellow ochre as the sunsets. It is made up of caves and canyons. However, what makes this rock truly special is the history attached to it. Plenty of paintings and carvings of the early Aborigines have been found in and around Uluru. Towering over the Australian outback, Uluru remains a source of reverence and awe.

It is November, springtime in the Australian desert, and I am standing at the base of Uluru with a group of travellers whom I am guiding on a two-week tour of Australia. Above us, a path snakes up the smooth face of the sandstone rock. Uluru is one of Australia’s top tourist attractions, and thousands of visitors climb this track to the top of the rock. But not today! A sign at the start of the track says the climb is closed due to high winds although the forecast is favourable.

In fact, two weeks before our arrival, the Uluru—Kata Tjuta National Park Board announced that from October 2019 Uluru is constantly closed to climbers. Though the National Park experienced a surge in visitors after the climbing ban was announced, the percentage of visitors who attempted the climb has been steadily declining over recent decades due to the traditional owners’ request for respect. For the rock’s Aboriginal owners the climbing ban is a momentous decision, the one they have dreamed of and worked towards for decades. To them, Uluru is an intensely sacred site linked to spirits of their ancestors, which requires protection against tourists.

Yet those feelings counted for little when weighed against the dollars being generated by the tourism economy. If visitors wanted to climb the rock, who were the Aborigines to stop them? Imagine the euphoria felt by the Aboriginal owners when the Park Board voted unanimously to end climbing. The director of the Central Land Council, which represents Indigenous people in Central Australia, said this decision was “righting a historic wrong.”

Today, at the start of the path up the rock, a large information panel expresses the local people’s feeling both for their most sacred place and for the visitors’ well-being. Under the headline “Please don’t climb,” the sign says. “This is our home. As custodians, we are responsible for your safety and behaviour.” This is not empty emoting. Since the 1950s at least 36 people have died while climbing Uluru and lots of climbers have needed medical rescues.

One unexpected response to the perception of Uluru as a sacred site has been the return of the rock itself or, rather, bits of it. For years, visitors had purloined pieces of Uluru as souvenirs. As awareness of Aboriginal beliefs became more widespread, people started sending the rocks back. Almost daily, the National Park receives packages of rocks from all over the world with messages of regret. Some people claim to have been cursed since taking rocks home, but the majority simply say that what they or their relatives did was wrong. The story of these “sorry rocks” has been widely reported, reinforcing the message of Uluru’s sacredness.

Bigger, wider and taller than Uluru, nearby Kata Tjuta is a spectacular collection of 36 enormous rocks. It is, arguably, one of Australia’s best-kept secrets, barely talked about among most Australians, let alone the world. Different signs invite visitors to relate to the place as the Indigenous people do. The signs say, “Kata Tjuta is sacred. Our people have always shown respect when visiting this place. It is the same for you. Hold in your heart the knowledge that this is a special place. Walk quietly, tread lightly.”

Uluru, as well as Kata Tjuta, will always be cultural landscapes deeply entrenched in the Aboriginal culture. For the Aborigines, these sacred rock formations are living creatures that emit energy. Obviously, the magnificence of these magical wonders needs protecting.

What makes Uluru such an extraordinary place?