http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2828769.stm
Tourists ‘jinxed’ by Aborigine rock Uluru
rock Uluru used to be known as Ayer’s Rock
Tourists who have taken home pieces of rock from Uluru, Australia’s most
sacred Aboriginal site, may have got more than they bargained for.
Rangers at the Uluru National Park say they have been mailed thousands of rocks
which their senders say have brought them bad luck.
“It’s just a weird phenomenon,” said park manager Brooke Watson. “They come from
all over and they just keep coming every day.”
Uluru – a huge red monolith in the heart of the Australian desert, previously
known as Ayer’s Rock – is one of the country’s best known natural monuments.
But it is also an important religious site for the Aborigines, and Australian
law prohibits tourists from taking personal souvenirs home with them.
Whether out of remorse or misfortune, it seems that many of those picking up
illegal pieces of rock cannot wait to get rid of them – regardless of the
expense.
I haven’t had anyone write and say, ‘Since I returned the rock we won the lotto’
or anything Park manager Brooke Watson Last year a German tourist mailed back a
7.5 kilogramme (16.5 pound) fragment.
“It must have cost them a fortune to send it,” Mr Watson said.
Most of the rocks sent back to the park end up being destroyed, as a result of
Australia’s strict quarantine laws.
But when they can, park rangers and local Aborigines hold ceremonies to put some
of the pieces back on Uluru.
There is little evidence, though, that these ceremonies lead to a reversal of
fortunes.
“I haven’t had anyone write and say, ‘Since I returned the rock we won the
lotto’ or anything,” Mr Watson said.
Each year around 500,000 tourists visit Uluru, 420 kilometres (260 miles) from
the outback town of Alice Springs.
Many tourists chose to climb the famous rock despite the objections of local Aborigines.