Marree Man, Large geoglyph in Finniss Springs, Australia
Marree Man is a geoglyph in Finniss Springs, South Australia, extending over roughly 2.5 square kilometers of red desert. The lines dug into the ground form the silhouette of a human with outstretched arm holding an object.
A charter pilot discovered the drawing in June 1998, triggering numerous speculations about its origin. To this day the creator remains unknown, although several theories about American or Australian artists circulate.
The figure shows a hunter holding a throwing stick, recalling Aboriginal hunting techniques in the Australian outback. Visitors see the motif best from the air, where the deep furrows in the red soil become clearly visible.
Visitors can see the drawing only from the air and need to book a charter flight from Marree, roughly 60 kilometers to the east. The best time is early morning or late afternoon, when the sun casts deep shadows into the furrows.
The outline was cut between 27 May and 12 June 1998, as NASA Landsat-5 images show the site undisturbed on the first date and the finished figure on the second. In January 1999 a fax led officials to a plaque buried 5 metres south of the nose, bearing a small American flag and a line from Hedley Finlayson's 1946 book The Red Centre.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,784 contributors worldwide.