Marree Man

The Marree Man is a massive modern geoglyph etched into the Finnis Springs plateau about 60 kilometres west of Marree in South Australia's Far North outback. Discovered in June 1998 by a charter pilot, the 2.7-kilometre-tall figure depicts an Aboriginal man hunting with a woomera. Visible only from the air, its creator remains anonymous. The outline spans about 28 kilometres and is one of Australia's largest land artworks.

Visitors cannot see the Marree Man from ground level due to its enormous scale. It is only appreciable from the air at around 3,000 feet on a scenic charter flight from Marree, Coober Pedy or William Creek. From the air, visitors see a vast, arid gibber plateau with the 2.7 km outline of a man holding a woomera clearly etched into the red desert surface. There are no structures, trails or facilities at the site itself, which lies on a remote pastoral plateau.

The Marree Man was created in June 1998 and first sighted on 26 June 1998 by charter pilot Trec Smith flying between Marree and Coober Pedy. The 2.7 km tall figure was ploughed into the plateau with lines up to 35 metres wide and 30 cm deep. Anonymous faxes sent to media and businesses at the time suggested a creation by artists from the United States. The site was closed to the public and has gradually faded, with restoration using a grader undertaken in August 2016 by a group including Arabana representatives and outback businesses.

The geoglyph depicts an Aboriginal hunter holding a woomera, referencing the cultural heritage of the Arabana people, the traditional owners of the land on which it lies. While not an ancient Aboriginal creation, it has become a contemporary cultural landmark of the South Australian outback and is managed with respect for Arabana custodianship.