The Marree Man
On June 26, 1998, a charter pilot named Trec Smith was flying between Marree and Coober Pedy in the South Australian outback when he noticed something strange below: the outline of a human figure, carved into the red earth on a flat-topped plateau. It was enormous—over 2.7 kilometers tall, with a perimeter of 28 kilometers.
Satellite imagery later confirmed the figure hadn't existed two weeks earlier.
The Marree Man depicts an Indigenous Australian hunter holding what appears to be a boomerang or throwing stick. Carved into the ground by some kind of earthmoving equipment, the lines are about 35 meters wide and up to 35 centimeters deep. Standing at ground level, you wouldn't know it was there. From the air, it's unmistakable.
Nobody has ever publicly admitted to creating it. No witnesses have come forward. The outback around Marree is so isolated that someone—or a team—managed to spend days operating heavy machinery without being seen by a single person.
Anonymous faxes sent to media outlets and local businesses offered clues that pointed overseas. The messages used phrases like "your State of SA" and "Queensland Barrier Reef" and referenced the Great Serpent Mound in Ohio—terminology that suggested an American author. A plaque bearing the U.S. flag and Olympic rings was later found near the site.
The leading theory centers on Bardius Goldberg, an eccentric artist from Alice Springs who had long been fascinated by Aboriginal culture and had spoken about creating artwork visible from great heights. Friends said he privately admitted to the work, though he never confirmed it publicly before his death in 2002. Goldberg had knowledge of satellite technology and access to earthmoving equipment—and the sophistication of the Marree Man suggests someone comfortable with GPS, which was still relatively new in 1998. Investigators found bamboo skewers placed every ten meters along the outline, marking the path for the machine.
In 2018, adventurer Dick Smith offered a $5,000 reward for information about the creator. Nobody came forward. The Marree Man remains officially unclaimed.