Uluru
National attention was focused on Uluru as the climbing route was closed in 2019. Consequently, the removal of the climb infrastructure required an imaginative methodology and a discreet and professional approach to the task, all while operating in a logistically challenging environment.
Background
The climbing route on Uluru rose 350m above the surrounding plain and continued 1.6km to the summit. The initial steep section required a 400m-long chain handrail suspended from 140 steel, mortar-filled, posts embedded into the rock surface. The climb concluded at the summit with a stone cairn topped by a brass directional plaque. The removal of the climb infrastructure was put out to tender in anticipation of the climb's closure in 2019.
Process
Challenge
A key requirement of the tender was to ensure that no further damage was caused to the rock during the removal process. The remote location required logistical care and the climatic extremes, combined with isolated work at height required a rigorous approach to risk management. All materials removed had to be preserved in a manner suitable for historical preservation, including the summit cairn. Holes left from the removal of the handrail posts had to be remediated. Sensitivity surrounding the closure of the climb required the works to be undertaken with a small-footprint, prudent approach.
To minimise the impact on the rock, the job was undertaken by a team of 4 with sparing use of helicopters for logistical support. The summit cairn’s facing stones were all numbered and photographed to ensure the accuracy of its reconstruction. After disassembly on the summit, the cairn materials and directional plaque were flown off by helicopter and the cairn rebuilt using the original stones and plaque back in the park workshop. An innovative tensioned, elevated, 400m long rope system was used for the transport of tools & materials down the route as the handrail removal took place. The handrail chain was unbolted and “broken” at hammerlock style joints which minimised cutting and maximised preservation of the materials. The posts were then cut, their cementitious cores augered out and the bases milled down to 20mm below the surface of the rock. “Sorry rocks”, returned by previous guests of the national park, were shaped to fill holes left by posts and chemically fixed into place. For quality assurance purposes, every element of the works was documented, with the details published in the paper “Returning Uluru” in the journal Studies in Conservation.
