The world’s biggest geoglyph, known as the “Marree Man,” is etched in the dry sand of Australia’s harsh desert. It is a gigantic figure of an Aboriginal man hunting birds or kangaroos with a thrown weapon.
The Man of Marree, unlike other humanoid geoglyphs discovered across the world that were erected by ancient civilizations, was etched into the earth only two decades ago ― between 27 May and 12 June 1998.
However, its very presence offers one of Australia’s biggest mysteries; the geoglyph is so massive that it can be seen from space, but no witnesses can confirm its creation, and its creator and motive for building remain unknown to this day.
The Marree Man geoglyph is located on a desolate land plateau about 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of Marree (population = 60) in South Australia. On June 26, 1998, Trevor Wright, a chartered pilot, was flying between Marree and Coober Pedy counties when he noticed the enormous figure in the terrain below.
The figure stands 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles) tall and has a 15 by 28-kilometer circumference (9.3 by 17.4 miles). Researchers believe the enigmatic geoglyph was created by an excavator and took weeks to finish.
Some have suggested that the work was created by a Northern Territory artist named Bardius Goldberg, who died in 2002 and lived at Alice Springs. Though, Goldberg, who was known to be interested in creating a work visible from space, refused when questioned to either confirm or deny that he had created the image. To date, no one claims to have seen or heard anything, adding to the mystery.
Only one route ran in and out of the location, but there were no footprints or wheel tracks to be seen, and a comprehensive police inquiry at the time yielded no results. To add to the intrigue, a number of strange things, including a satellite photo of the person, were discovered in a shallow trench near the location using the geoglyph.
Untill now, no fresh information regarding this geoglyph has been released, therefore it remains shrouded in mystery since no one understands how something like this appeared out of nowhere in the countryside.
