Giant Marree Man in SA makes a comeback

HE’S a national icon who has all but faded from view. But South Australia’s iconic Marree Man is about to be brought back from the brink.

Marree Man, depiction of Aboriginal hunter, in satellite image taken in May 1998. Picture: Australian Centre for Remote Sensing.

HE’S a national icon who has all but faded from view.

But South Australia’s iconic Marree Man is about to be brought back from the brink.

The 4km long outline, the origins of which remain a mystery, had all but faded from view after its discovery southeast of Lake Eyre in 1998.

But a determined group of mates have used imaging data and a grader to bring him back.

The re-emergence of the Marree Man has been hailed as a tourism boost for the state’s far north.

“We could see it was fading rapidly and, from a tourism perspective, to lose such an extraordinary myth and mystery would be a tragedy,” Marree Hotel co-owner Phil Turner said.

The group collaborated with the Arabana Aboriginal Corporation, and compiled imaging data to ensure they were retracing the original.

“Then it came to, `What do we use as a paintbrush to restore this work of art’? And we came to a grader,” Mr Turner said.

“It will be there forever not because of the work we’ve done but because we’ve created wind grooves.

“The graded wind rows trap water ... so over time Marree Man is going to turn green.”

Mr Turner said the re-emergence of the icon would be a significant boost for year-round tourism in a region largely reliant on seasonal attractions such as Lake Eyre when it filled.

He expected a 10 per cent increase in overnight stays to inject millions into the far north.