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The Uluru tourists return the "damned" souvenirs back

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Travel Articles >> Locations >> Oceania >> Australia Travel Articles >> Curiosities

Hundreds of tourists that have taken a piece of the most popular Australian rock - Uluru - are sending their souvenirs back, explaining it with the bad luck that chases them after they have illegally taken the souvenir.

The national park of the Uluru rock, officially known as Ayers rock receives at least one parcel daily with a piece of the rock and excuses inside. The parcels come from the whole world.

Jasmin Foxley that investigates the phenomenon told that about one fourth of the senders believe that they were damned after they have stolen the souvenir. In their letters they tell stories about destroyed marriages, serious sicknesses and even deaths of the relatives. All this they link with the pieces of the rock.

Others write that they have suddenly realized the cultural and spiritual importance of Uluru for the aborigines that own the rock. And because of this they want to give back that, what is owned by the Australians.

About half a million of tourists visit Uluru every year, most of them get to it's top, in spite of the warning signs of the aborigines about the sanctity of the rock. Some of them do more and take pieces of the rock in their luggage home.

The biggest piece that has been sent back till now is a 32 kilogram(!) boulder - that is the weight of a whole suitcase that is allowed at the local flights in Australia. It has been sent back by a very regretting couple from the Southern Australia. Another parcel contained a piece with the weight of 9 kilos with regrets from Germany. Most of the stolen pieces are much smaller and easily suit in a pocket.

About 25% of the letters tell about the bad luck that caught people after their return from Australia, many write about their wish to return the property to the initial owners. Miss Foxley adds: "We often make errors being in other country, when we do not understand the cultural and spiritual life of the locals. That's why the people that return the pieces of the rock think that this could ease their guilt".

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Article Submitted On: May 12, 2008