Backpackers lie on top of their equipment on the roof of a tour bus trailer, taking in the view of Uluru during sunset.

Tourists are rushing to climb world heritage-listed Monolith, Uluru in Australia's central desert before a ban on climbers takes effect. The date of the closure, 26 October 2019, will be 34 years to the day since Uluru was given back to its traditional owners the Anangu people who have long requested that visitors not climb the sacred site.