Australia's Uluru closed to climbers on Friday after a decades-long battle by the Indigenous owners of the sacred site.

Thousands of people swarmed to Uluru this year before an official ban kicked in.

Anyone now caught climbing Uluru will be in breach of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act and could face heavy fines.

To commemorate the climbing ban, public celebrations will take place this weekend when the dismantling of the trail and its railing is also expected to begin.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of tourists clambered up the Unesco World Heritage-listed 348-metre (1,142-ft) monolith, formerly known as Ayers Rock.

Authorities opened the climb mid-morning amid clear skies, after blustery conditions delayed early trekkers.