Jayson Dudas has dedicated his life to travelling to all the countries in the world and his quest is almost done.
On Thursday however he had but one remote destination and one task in mind: he was on his way to Uluru to become one of the last people to climb the great red rock.
World traveller Jayson Dudas is going to be one of the last people to climb the rock.Credit:Tony Wright
Dudas, 36, flew from his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, to tackle the 348 metre ascent in the heart of the Australian desert.
But it was so hot on Thursday – 40 degrees – that no one at all was permitted to climb after 8am. Thirty seven people have died on Uluru since records began in the 1950s, and most of them have succumbed to physical stress, including heat.
The temperature is forecast to hover around 33 degrees on Friday – comfortably below the 36 degree cut-off – allowing the sandstone path to be reopened for one last gasp.
Dudas, like everyone intent on clambering up Uluru, has until Friday afternoon to make it to the top and back.
It was so hot on Thursday that no one was allowed to climb Uluru after 8am.Credit:Tony Wright
The controversial climb, which has attracted tens of thousands since the 1950s, will be closed permanently from Saturday.
The closure finally meets the long-held wishes of the Indigenous custodians of the area, the Anangu people, who consider the path to the top to be a sacred men’s site that should be off-limits to outsiders.
Illustration: Matt GoldingCredit:
National parks officials are also concerned that run-off into pools on and around the rock is polluted with E. coli from human excreta. There are no toilet facilities on the rock.
Dudas is among hordes of travellers who have surged to Uluru during the past few weeks, intent on beating the climbing ban.
Planes to Ayers Rock Airport were crammed full on Thursday, like most over recent weeks. Many foreign visitors, particularly those from Japan, have taken to flying in on a morning plane, dashing by bus to climb the rock, then returning to the airport for an afternoon plane out.
"I heard about the closure of the climb about six months ago," Dudas said.
"I kept it at the back of my mind that I had to do it one last time. And tomorrow is it."
Dudas, a pilot on short domestic runs in the US spends an average of 10 days every month travelling the world.
They don't make them like this any more.
At the age of 22, he set out to travel to every member country of the United Nations, including the three accorded observer status — the Holy See, Palestine and Taiwan. Among the first countries he visited was Australia. He stayed for five weeks and included Uluru, which he calls Ayers Rock, on his itinerary.
"Ayers Rock turned out to be the highlight of that entire trip," Dudas recalled. "It’s a symbol of all of Australia, in my opinion.
"I remember driving towards it and seeing it from a distance and it was amazing."
And yes, he climbed it then, though he was aware that the Indigenous owners asked visitors not to do so, just as they have continued to request ever since.
"I know, people say it’s like climbing a church," Dudas admitted.
"But it’s a national site, and I’m going to take care that I’m not damaging the rock in any way, or leaving trash behind, or painting graffiti on it.
"That first time, I really enjoyed the climb: the environment, the people I met, the amazing view across the desert.
"I made sure I did no harm, and I will make sure again this week."
In the 14 years since he began his epic journeying, he has made it to 195 countries. He lists war-ravaged South Sudan, which he visited in 2015, as the most difficult country to enter.
He witnessed the aftermath of a car-bombing in Afghanistan. Only a few weeks ago he was in Damascus, though he saw no fighting and avoided Syria's strife-torn north.
"There is only one country left," he said. "New Zealand. I’ve heard it’s the best, so I’m leaving the best till last.
"I’ll go there with friends this summer and I’ll hold a celebration, because it will mean I’ve been to every country."
Meanwhile, he has the world’s biggest natural monolith to climb.
"I think it really adds something to my travels that I’ll be one of the last people to climb Ayers Rock," he said.
Tony Wright is the associate editor and special writer for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
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