Uluru-Kata Tjuta national park ranger Tjiangu Thomas says closing the climb is a ‘strong example of Anangu making decisions for their land’

People have climbed Uluru on the last day before it closes permanently but, for the third day in a row, the climb was delayed by dangerous weather.

Parks Australia closed the climb for two hours on Friday due to strong winds. On Wednesday and Thursday it was closed intermittently because of the heat, as temperatures went well above 36C.

Nevertheless, from early Friday a long line of visitors queued as busloads more cruised the car park. A cheer went up when rangers took down the “high winds” sign mid-morning and allowed tourists to climb in small groups. About 200 people had begun the ascent within half an hour of the opening.

An Uluru-Kata Tjuta national park ranger, 28-year-old Tjiangu Thomas, said it was “easy” to wake up this morning knowing the climb was about to close for good.

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“This is really important for me and for Anangu and for the region. It’s a strong example of Anangu making decisions for their land,” Thomas said.

“At the end of the day, respect is a choice. Obviously it’s disappointing [to see people wanting to climb] but compared to the school holidays this [crowd] isn’t too much.

“It’s rather emotional, having elders who picked up this long journey before I was born to close the climb. They’re no longer here, but we’re carrying their legacy to close the climb. So there’s a bit of sadness there, but also happiness knowing that the climb will be closed and respect is going to be given to Anangu’s wishes.

“It takes a lot of our resources to manage the climb and it does take away from the cultural value of this place,” Thomas said.

At the front of the queue a couple from Adelaide, who did not want to be named, said they would have waited the day to see if they could make the climb, which was “important to them as Australians, because the rock is a symbol for all of us”.

Immediately behind them Callie Derks, her daughters, Madison and Georgia, and husband, Noel Derks, said they had done the climb three times before. This time, the family made it a short way up the rock for a “photo opportunity” before they had to leave for the airport.

“The views from up there are worth it,” Callie Derks said. “I go up respectfully and don’t stray from where we’re allowed to go,” she said.

The Japanese tourist Hikaru Ide from Nagano, who is on a working holiday in Australia, said he had come to Uluru to pay his respects by not climbing. Ide said Uluru was sacred, and to walk around the base was enough.

Watching the last of the climbers, the Anangu man Vince Forrester from Mutitjulu said the discoloured and damaged rock along the climbing route was like a scar that would not go away in his lifetime. Forrester said tourists using the top of the rock as a toilet had poisoned waterholes and wildlife, and he was glad the climb would soon be over.

Forrester also called for greater involvement of Anangu in the economic opportunities that tourism in the park generates.

The climb closes for good after 4pm local time.