The Marree Man, is still one of the biggest art mysteries located in the middle of the Australian desert. In 1998, this massive figure—a nude man waving what appears to be a boomerang—was carved into the ground close to Finniss Springs, in southern Australia, about 60 kilometers west of the tiny town of Marree. It is almost 4.2 kilometers long and nearly 28 kilometers around. Although no one knows who made it or why, experts believe that modern technology must have been used because the lines are so accurate.
Since it was discovered, the Marree Man has fascinated scientists, artists, and travelers as well. Despite the fact that this geoglyph is quite recent, some people compare it to the Nazca Lines in Peru.
The birth of a desert mystery
When a pilot passing over the region in June 1998 noticed the enormous silhouette carved into the ground, that’s when it started. From above, it appeared to be a giant Aboriginal hunter drawn across the desert, straight out of a science-fiction film. NASA soon took pictures of it with satellites, demonstrating that the figure was made in a matter of days, from May 27 to June 12 of that year.
No one took credit. However, anonymous faxes began targeting Marree’s local news and shops. According to the messages, the figure was a tribute to Aboriginal Australian culture and was supposedly for tourism. They did not reveal any other details though. The unusual American English used in those faxes raised more questions about who wrote them.
Over time, the lines were gradually lost because of erosion and wind in the Australian desert. The Marree Man had practically disappeared by 2013. Only small traces were visible in Landsat 8 satellite images.
A team of volunteers decided to bring it back in 2016. They traced the figure again over the course of five days using survey tools, GPS, and a leveling machine. In order to help vegetation grow along the edges and retain the outline for a longer period of time, they added contours around the lines this time. When NASA published a new image of the restored geoglyph in 2019, the Marree Man reappeared, bringing with it the age-old questions: Who made it? And why?
Theories and suspects
There are many suspects on the list, but none of them have been confirmed.
Australian artist Bardius Goldberg, who is known for his enormous outdoor sculptures, is the focus of the most popular theory. He never publicly acknowledged his involvement, although some close friends and family members said he admitted it just before he passed away in 2002.
Personnel from the nearby military base of Woomera are implicated in another theory. After receiving precise coordinates from anonymous faxes, investigators discovered a small buried plaque near the head of the geoglyph that had Olympic symbols and the U.S. flag. Because of the American language used in those faxes, many people assumed that the culprit might have been a member of the US military or a contractor with access to advanced GPS.
Others believe it may have been carried out covertly by nearby mining firms that had access to the region and heavy machinery. Although experts say the drawing’s style doesn’t fit with local traditions, some even think it was a symbolic or political message related to Aboriginal Australian culture.
The most bizarre clue of all was that, while the Marree Man was being restored in 2016, the volunteers got an anonymous email with a GPS file of the man that was so accurate that they managed to redraw the figure with only 15 centimeters of error. One of the original creators may have been the person who sent that file.
A mystery that still lives on
Today, the Marree Man remains a major tourist attraction—and a major mystery—in the Australian desert.