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Uluru tourists return 'cursed' souvenirs

Source: nzherald.co.nz

TL;DR

Hundreds of tourists have mailed back rock pieces taken from Uluru, citing bad luck or guilt.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park receives at least one such package daily, with a quarter mentioning curses like illnesses or break-ups.
Returns show growing respect for the site's sacred meaning to indigenous owners, despite ongoing thefts.

The story at a glance

Hundreds of tourists who pocketed chunks of Uluru, Australia's iconic monolith, are posting them back to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park rangers with apologies. Some blame the rocks for personal misfortunes like family illnesses and marriage failures; researcher Jasmine Foxlee found 25% of notes cite such bad luck. The article, by Kathy Marks in 2008, highlights this amid half a million annual visitors who often ignore signs about the site's spiritual importance to Aboriginal traditional owners.

Key points

Park receives at least one package a day from worldwide senders, each with rock fragments and apology notes.
About 25% of returners claim curses, reporting marriage break-ups, illnesses, deaths, or general misfortune after taking the souvenirs.
Largest returned rock weighs 32kg, sent by a South Australia couple; another 9kg piece came from Germany; most fit in a pocket.
Half a million tourists visit Uluru yearly; many climb it despite signs noting it treads on ancient Aboriginal dreaming tracks.
Researcher Jasmine Foxlee, a PhD student, analysed the letters and noted most express simple regret or caution about Aboriginal spirituality.

Details and context

Uluru, once called Ayers Rock, is sacred to the Anangu people as it holds creation stories and dreaming paths. Taking rocks disrespects these beliefs, though no formal Anangu curse exists—misfortune tales seem tied to guilt or superstition.[[1]](https://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/uluru-tourists-return-cursed-souvenirs/26445404.html)[[2]](https://sacredland.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Media-Fact-Sheet-Sorry-Rocks-2.pdf)

Rangers handle returns carefully to avoid cultural offence, often using rocks for erosion repair rather than exact replacement.[[3]](https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/tim-the-yowie-man/2019/01/the-uluru-curse)

The phenomenon, dubbed "sorry rocks," continues today with over 350 packages yearly, showing persistent visitor awareness gaps despite warnings.[[4]](https://www.facebook.com/TimYowie/posts/the-so-called-curse-of-ulurudare-to-pilfer-part-of-the-red-centres-most-famous-r/1761986868539666)

Key quotes

"Things were good in my life before I took some of Ayers Rock home with me, but since then my wife has had a stroke and things have worked out terribly for my children - we have had nothing but bad luck." — Anonymous tourist.[[1]](https://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/uluru-tourists-return-cursed-souvenirs/26445404.html)
"There's quite a deep-seated uncertainty about Aboriginal spirituality and culture, and often we err on the side of caution..." — Jasmine Foxlee.[[1]](https://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/uluru-tourists-return-cursed-souvenirs/26445404.html)

Why it matters

Respect for indigenous sites like Uluru balances tourism's economic pull against cultural harm from theft and climbing. For visitors, it warns against taking "free" souvenirs, as guilt or perceived curses prompt returns years later. Watch if daily returns drop post-2019 climb ban, though rock-taking persists.