Ayers Rock / Uluru - not open for Aussies??

[coco50]

Thank you. We're flying from MEL via SYD so I have have put in a few premium upgrade bids so hopefully it will be a nice surprise for Miss 15 to do the SYD-AYQ and return legs in J, even if it's just the 738 service.

From memory, SYD - AYQ is a fairly long flight, so sitting in J will be worth it. Lake Eyre should be spectacular with all the water in it as you fly over. Some good views on the way and a pretty good one of Uluru as you approach the airport at AYQ.

 

[Meggsy]

Thank you. We're flying from MEL via SYD so I have have put in a few premium upgrade bids so hopefully it will be a nice surprise for Miss 15 to do the SYD-AYQ and return legs in J, even if it's just the 738 service.

From memory, SYD - AYQ is a fairly long flight, so sitting in J will be worth it. Lake Eyre should be spectacular with all the water in it as you fly over. Some good views on the way and a pretty good one of Uluru as you approach the airport at AYQ.

It is usually an E190 if you are flying VA. I fly SYD-AYQ fairly regularly for work with VA and it is only about 1 in 10 or so that it is a 738.
Depending on head and tail winds it is usually about 3 hours out and 2:40 back.

 

[Justinf]

It is usually an E190 if you are flying VA. I fly SYD-AYQ fairly regularly for work with VA and it is only about 1 in 10 or so that it is a 738.
Depending on head and tail winds it is usually about 3 hours out and 2:40 back.

The seat map for both our flights is showing a 738.

 

[Meggsy]

The seat map for both our flights is showing a 738.

That's good news then. I guess the difference in J is neglible between the two aircraft. I am not surprised if VA decide to upgrade to a 738 on a more regular basis. The tourism numbers have been fairly rapidly increasing over the last twelve months. Each time I head out now I notice the resort is at near capacity.

 

[HeavyElectricity]

The seat map for both our flights is showing a 738.

My outbound and return flights at the end of April are both showing a 738 too.

Possibly related to: Virgin Australia to remove five Embraer E190s from fleet ?

 

[marki]

Some of the structures are delicate and are preserved and protected for the enjoyment of generations to come. So walking on certain delicate rock formations is a no no RooFlyer. However I do sympathise with your reasoning but not totally. By the way I have climbed the rock several times. But I haven't peed on the summit!

 

[Justinf]

That's good news then. I guess the difference in J is neglible between the two aircraft. I am not surprised if VA decide to upgrade to a 738 on a more regular basis. The tourism numbers have been fairly rapidly increasing over the last twelve months. Each time I head out now I notice the resort is at near capacity.

I haven't flown J in the E190 so I wouldn't mind if it was one of those. It's my favourite jet to fly in domestically in Y.

 

[eastwest101]

Some of the structures are delicate and are preserved and protected for the enjoyment of generations to come. So walking on certain delicate rock formations is a no no RooFlyer. However I do sympathise with your reasoning but not totally. By the way I have climbed the rock several times. But I haven't peed on the summit!

Hence the national park and designated tracks and other traffic control measures already in place. But your original photo had no context and no evidence that the formations depicted in the photo were anything other than natural erosion and weathering of sandstone in its natural environment, coco50 also posted a photo of similar natural erosion on near vertical surfaces at Uluru which could not possibly be human foot traffic. So your attempt to conflate a legitimate cultural request by some traditional owners with photos of naturally occurrring erosion as some sort of human induced erosion of Uluru is demonstrable rubbish. As other posters have mentioned - Uluru is a naturally occurring monolith of sandstone sitting out in the desert, and subject to all that mother nature can throw at it for billions of years of geological history. You don't need to sympathise with RooFlyer's reasoning, he just provided geological evidence which you can choose to ignore or not.

If you don't like erosion of Uluru then I suggest that you find a way of removing all the atmosphere, plants, animals and people from the entire planet and also stop plate tectonics and tow the earth out of range of the sun then you will have preserved and protected Uluru for all eternity against erosion.

 

[marki]

EastWest you need to take a chill pill ok ......... You really went overboard!!
My request ?? What request about conflating ?

I repeat ......Some of The formations out there are delicate and can be easily damaged.(any park ranger from Ayers Rock will tell you)

My needs are not your business, I will feel free to sympathise with anyone I want.

I also provided geological evidence,......... you can also ignore or not.

Your last paragraph is just silly

 

[Moody]

...Your last paragraph is just silly

Well you started it!

 

[marki]

I started what Moody? talking common sense! Not denigrating anyone YMMV-------
Quote"So your attempt to conflate a legitimate cultural request by some traditional owners with photos of naturally occurrring erosion as some sort of human induced erosion of Uluru is demonstrable rubbish" EndQuote is -overboard........Eastwest101 is in my opinion doing his own conflating. I am talking clearly (again) that walking on delicate rock formations can be deleterious for that formation and then ask any park ranger at Ayers Rock who you pay for by agreeing to buy buying a entry ticket and agree to certain rules when entering the park. There main job is making sure people don't walk on such formations, and keep to the designated walk way. ROLLEYES

Well you started it!

Also todays generation would possibly like to enjoy those rock formations without PEE and Poop inside them.

 

[Moody]

I started what Moody? talking common sense! Not denigrating anyone YMMV-------
Quote"So your attempt to conflate a legitimate cultural request by some traditional owners with photos of naturally occurrring erosion as some sort of human induced erosion of Uluru is demonstrable rubbish" EndQuote is -overboard........Eastwest101 is in my opinion doing his own conflating. I am talking clearly (again) that walking on delicate rock formations can be deleterious for that formation and then ask any park ranger at Ayers Rock who you pay for by agreeing to buy buying a entry ticket and agree to certain rules when entering the park. There main job is making sure people don't walk on such formations, and keep to the designated walk way. ROLLEYES Also todays generation would possibly like to enjoy those rock formations without PEE and Poop inside them.

QED

BTW - Ayers Rock aka Uluru aka Bloody Big Rock has been there for 700 million years. If we collapse that into a year the "traditional owners" turned up 7 minutes ago (at the very most) and decided it would make a good focal point for their particular religious mumbo-jumbo. I am not religious, but am happy to follow the rules at temples, mosques, etc. - so I have only climbed the rock when open. It takes significant effort but you are rewarded by fantastic views. End of story. [BTW - I didn't see anyone defecate on the rock and doubt that it is a serious problem with the amount of fluid you use climbing it]

 

[Pushka]

I really think if you resort to pee and poop then there is no argument.

 

[marki]

Moody I have avoided dragging religion into it others have made it important. I am concentrating on the issue of delicate rock formations and how this can easily be damaged. Cheers

QED

BTW - Ayers Rock aka Uluru aka Bloody Big Rock has been there for 700 million years. If we collapse that into a year the "traditional owners" turned up 7 minutes ago (at the very most) and decided it would make a good focal point for their particular religious mumbo-jumbo. I am not religious, but am happy to follow the rules at temples, mosques, etc. - so I have only climbed the rock when open. It takes significant effort but you are rewarded by fantastic views. End of story. [BTW - I didn't see anyone defecate on the rock and doubt that it is a serious problem with the amount of fluid you use climbing it]

 

[Moody]

Moody I have avoided dragging religion into it others have made it important. I am concentrating on the issue of delicate rock formations and how this can easily be damaged. Cheers

When you get as many visitors as Uluru does, some wear and tear is inevitable. [Have you seen some of the stairs at medieval abbeys and castles?] But considering that people are restricted to almost a single path up and down the rock, the erosion is minimal because, let's face it, it's made of rock.

What are these delicate rock formations you speak of?

 

[opusman]

I didn't climb it because it was bloody hot and there's no shade. The walk around it was lovely however.

 

[marki]

When you get as many visitors as Uluru does, some wear and tear is inevitable. [Have you seen some of the stairs at medieval abbeys and castles?] But considering that people are restricted to almost a single path up and down the rock, the erosion is minimal because, let's face it, it's made of rock.

What are these delicate rock formations you speak of?

I lived there so I got a first hand view of the place. I was with the local village near the rock. Believe me there are places there that are definetly abused. Other tracts up not just that single one you see on most photos.
Some rock formations took million of years to form but will be quickly destroyed in those last few minutes by mankind. "Uluru was formed more than 500 million years ago and what you see now is a fraction of what it originally was. Erosion of this monolith has been quite rapid. The impact of humans has only been over the last 40 000 years and is less significant that natural erosion. However like humans anywhere there is always an impact on the natural environment. " quote written by coco50 a little earlier

 

[Flying mermaid]

We did two tours where the guides were Anangu local people and I would really recommend a similar one. When we did it, it was a much smaller group, as most tourists elect to go with the bigger more organised ones. It did have its challenges - on the day our guide didn't feel like getting out of bed so there was a delay while he was persuaded. However walking around the rock with him, sitting at his feet under an overhang of rock, while he talked about the cave drawings - just an incredible experience.

One of the things he talked about was why they didn't want people to climb. First they get really upset when anyone dies and there are fatalities from climbers. Secondly people do drop things - cigarette butts, paper, tissues etc. They get washed off the rock into a pool at the base that they view as sacred and it is upsetting for them to see all the junk washed down.

We were going to climb initially and also felt a bit resentful that it was being discouraged. However after talking to him, we felt it would be wrong to do so. YMMV

 

[juddles]

As usual, everything is perspective.

If, in the "distant" future, there are still people rocking around this planet (no pun intended), to them it would be fascinating history to discover a surface where someone scrawled "Mick woz ere" 50,000 years before.

But at the time it is just pointless graffiti.

 

[juddles]

And expanding on that idea, if multitudes of people climb up the Rock now, and with their boots cause deep ruts in the surface, this will be seen right now as destruction of cultural etc heritage. But in 50000 years the anthropologists will declare THOSE ruts an amazing find, as they were evidence of a period where a race of strange people resided in Australia that made pilgrimages in hordes to the Rock.