In the race to attract grey nomads and other tourists to the Outback, the South Australian town of Marree has just given itself a giant advantage.
The mysterious desert artwork known as the Marree Man, which appeared in the desert almost two decades ago, has made an eye-catching comeback! The original, which measures 28 kilometres around, became a huge attraction for grey nomads who arrived in the area in 4WDs or who busted the budget to take a flight over it.
As the artwork faded into the desert sands, the ‘who, why and how’ questions behind the landmark artwork added to its mythical status, and Marree Hotel publican Phil Turner finally responded to constant questioning about it … by putting it back on the map.
Along with a team of other locals, he has spent the past five days ploughing the iconic outline back into the desert sands.
“We desperately need tourism and I think everyone in the area recognises that,” Mr Turner told the ABC. “This is about restoring the myth and the mystery.”
The publican began talking to the Arabana Aboriginal Corporation three years ago about the possibility of restoring the Marree Man.
Using GPS and images taken from space, the restoration team built up a data file that gave it a very, very accurate grid reference on the ground.
“I’ve never used a grader as a paintbrush before, but we did,” Mr Turner told the ABC. “It’s about what we, in the far north of South Australia, can develop and I think now we’ve got a long-term, sustainable attraction that hopefully will provide a lot of benefits.”
I am of a few who were privy to the ‘who’ it was behind the creation of this massive desert drawing. The important thing to note is the originator referred to the drawing as that of a SUMERIAN MAN. Not aboriginal as most are led to believe.