Victorian man Simon Day convicted for climbing Uluru

Authored by abc.net.au and submitted by superegz
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A Victorian man who illegally scaled Uluru has become the first person to be convicted since climbing the sacred rock was banned in 2019.

Key points: Parks Australia, which jointly manages the national park with the traditional owners, welcomed the court's decision to convict Simon Day

Parks Australia, which jointly manages the national park with the traditional owners, welcomed the court's decision to convict Simon Day The decision to ban climbing on Uluru was made in 2017 and came into effect three years ago

The decision to ban climbing on Uluru was made in 2017 and came into effect three years ago Thousands flocked to climb the rock before the ban came into effect

Simon Day was found guilty in absence on two charges – walking or riding on a Commonwealth reserve and entering a restricted or prohibited area – in Alice Springs Local Court.

The 44-year-old was also fined $2,500.

Parks Australia, which jointly manages the national park with the Anangu traditional owners, welcomed the decision.

"The director of National Parks takes the protection of sacred sites very seriously," a spokesperson said.

"Uluru has great spiritual significance to Anangu and is a significant part of Tjukurpa (customary law).

"Tjukurpa requires that Anangu take responsibility for looking after their sacred sites and visitors to their country.

"Traditional owners have a cultural responsibility to look after the Uluru rock formation and the surrounding park area."

Tourists flocked to climb the rock before the ban came into effect. ( ABC News: Rick Hind )

The spokesperson said the national park was regularly patrolled to ensure compliance with the climbing ban.

In 2017 the board of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park voted unanimously to disallow climbing because of the spiritual significance of the site.

Simon Day was absent from court. ( ABC News: Neda Vanovac )

The decision attracted some opposition, with thousands of tourists racing to climb the rock in the weeks leading up to its closure.

It is estimated more than 35 people have died on Uluru since tourists began ascending it via a steep track during the 1930s.

crizto on August 20th, 2022 at 13:28 UTC »

I climbed it with my family when I was a kid, before it was banned. I remember hearing a story a guy who graffitied their name on the rock, then proceeded to sign the guestbook with the same name and actual home address…

malak_oz on August 20th, 2022 at 13:24 UTC »

I think some people would look at this and say, ‘ok, so tix for climbing the rock are 2.5k.’

HomicidalNymph on August 20th, 2022 at 11:53 UTC »

"The director of National Parks takes the protection of sacred sites very seriously"

Meanwhile Rio Tinto are blasting through sacred caves.