Crowds surge to Uluru as climbing ban imposed

If you ban it, they will come. That was the case at Uluru, the sacred red rock in Australia's Northern Territory, where tourists flocked to make a final ascent before a permanent ban on climbing came into force.
Images posted on social media showed long lines of visitors hoping to ascend the landmark, once known as Ayers Rock, despite longstanding requests not to climb by Uluru's traditional owners, the indigenous Anangu people.
On the eve of the October 26 ban, the walkway up the huge monolith was finally closed to the public a couple of hours before sunset, according to Australian broadcaster ABC. It reported that hundreds had made the trek up the landmark on the final day.