A lone young man ran ahead of the pack to be the first to scramble on to Uluru on the last day that climbs are allowed.
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Uluru opened to hundreds of climbers three hours late on Friday, the last day before the permanent ban.
The climbers had lined up from 4am at the base of the iconic 348-metre high sandstone rock, many travelling there for that reason alone.
At one stage it appeared all of the wannabe climbers would miss out, when rangers put up a sign at 7am declaring it was closed due to strong winds.
Regulations following numerous deaths at the rock require it to be closed when there's strong heat, rain or wind above 25-30km per hour.
By 10 am, the weather was calm enough for Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park operations manager Steven Baldwin to declare: "The climb is now open" and the first climber raced on to the rock.
Local traditional owner, Vincent Forrester, who also works as a guide, booed at the crowd and accused tourism operators of not employing young people from the local Mutitjulu community.
Go and have a look at AAT Kings and see if there is one blackfella working there.
"You've got to take the mickey a bit, there's a sign over there but not one of them can read," he said, referring to the sign at Uluru's base asking people not to climb on behalf of the Pitjantjatjara Anangu people from Mutitjulu.
"It's going to close today but we want the visitors to come and we want them to enjoy the Aboriginal presentation of our own country, we want to present our culture, it's our right."
"Go and have a look at AAT Kings and see if there is one blackfella working there."
Uluru is a sacred site and of great spiritual significance to the Anangu.
The National Park board decided in 2017 to ban the climb, in what park operations manager Steven Baldwin said on Friday was a "triumph" of joint management and the Anangu people bravely showing they were not beholden to government or tourists.
Ranger and indigenous traditional owner Tjianju Thomas said it was an emotional day for the Anangu, who were descending on Uluru from throughout the region this weekend to celebrate.
Of those climbing he said: "It's disappointing and respect is a choice."
The climbers, from around the world, had varying sympathies for the Anangu.
Janet Ishikawa, of Hawaii, who specifically flew to Uluru for the last day of climbing described the reasons behind the ban as "bullshit".
She likened it to the current protests by Native Hawaiians over plans for a large telescope on Mt Mauna Kea.
"It's a total overreaction, all of a sudden they want to take ownership of all this stuff," she said.
"The fact they say you shouldn't climb because of all this sacred stuff, I can still respect it and climb it."
Adelaide couple Joseph and Sonita Vinecombe said they were aware of the cultural sensitivities and it had made them think twice.
"I'm not going to be devastated if I can't get up there, I'm also going to run around the rock and that will be fine," Ms Vinecombe.
After the last climber comes down on Friday, workers will immediately start removing all evidence climbing was ever allowed.
The scarring from millions of pairs of feet scrambling up the rock for decades will take longer to erode, if ever.
Australian Associated Press
