Google Removes Street View Virtual Tour of Australia’s Uluru

Google removed images from its Street View that allowed users to virtually walk across Australia's Uluru, a sacred Aboriginal site that has been closed to tourists since last year, the company said Friday.

Parks Australia requested that the images contributed by the user be taken in line with the wishes of the Anangu people, who are the traditional owners of the World Heritage Site, reports AFP.

The giant red monolith in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in central Australia was closed to tourists in October 2019 at the request of Anangu, who are holding the site sacred.

“We understand Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is deeply sacred to the Anangu people,” a Google spokesperson said.

“As soon as Parks Australia raised their concerns about this user contribution, we removed the imagery,” they said.

The company said that the images were taken by users of Google maps prior to the closure of Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock.

Street View allows users to take virtual walking tours of locations around the planet.

Thousands of tourists climbed to the top of Uluru every year in defiance of the wishes of its traditional owners.

The climb was permanently closed on October 26, 2019, the anniversary of the return of ownership to the Anangu people.

Uluru has a great deal of spiritual and cultural significance for native Australians, with its connection to a site that dates back tens of thousands of years.