I came across an article in a British newspaper, that talks about what might happen if you photograph the famous Ayers Rock in Australia.
According to Parks Australia, many parts of Uluru and Kata Tjuta are culturally sensitive. 'Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa have a number of culturally sensitive sites,' the Uluru website states.
The rock details and features at these sites are equivalent to sacred scripture for Aṉangu. They describe culturally important information and should only be viewed in their original location and by specific people.
It is inappropriate for images of sensitive sites to be viewed elsewhere, so taking any photos of these places is prohibited.
Does such obscurantism still have a place in modern society?
Climbing Uluru has been permanently off-limits since October 2019, after the Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park board voted unanimously to shut down the practice in line with the wishes of the Anangu Traditional Owners.
Anyone who attempts the climb now faces penalties of more than $10,000. The first prosecution came in 2022, when a 44-year-old Simon Day from Victoria was fined $2,500 after illegally scaling the sacred site.
However, since then, huge parts of the rock have been declared unable to be photographed, while other areas require a permit. Fines of more than $5,000 apply.
Ok to ban climbing but a $2500 fine for taking a landscape photograph is absurd.
Anyone wanting to shoot content at Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park needs to pay for a photo permit, which costs $20 a day for commercial photography or $250 a day for filming.
On top of that, all visitors are required to buy a park entry pass, priced at $38 per adult for a three-day visit.
If you post to Social media they class it as commercial photography. Hope this wheeze does not catch on. A bit of a rip off to have to pay to photograph in a National park.
Photography is becoming ever more difficult, with BS like this on the increase.