Marree Man geoglyph
In June 1998 a charter pilot spotted a 2.7 km outline of an Aboriginal hunter etched into the plateau near Marree, South Australia. Nobody has ever claimed it.
1998 CE · -29.53, 137.47 · status: disputed
The account
Anonymous faxes referring to American places and spellings sent investigators in circles, and a plaque with a US flag was found buried nearby. The figure faded over the years and was re-graded in 2016 by local business people. Arabana traditional owners objected to its creation on their country without consent.
The sceptical view
There is nothing unexplained about how it was made, only by whom: GPS-guided grading was well within reach in 1998. Theories favour artist Bardius Goldberg, who reportedly hinted at involvement before his death in 2002.
The researched reading
A giant human-made figure in the desert by an unidentified maker. Only its authorship is mysterious.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Undetermined | 85% | The share the reading had given to fabrication on doubt rather than evidence: the record does not settle it either way. |
| A cultural story | 6% | It depicts an Arabana hunter and became a regional icon, which explains the 2016 re-grading. |
| A hoax or fabrication | 5% | A huge figure graded into the ground by people, likely with GPS and earthmoving gear, followed by teasing anonymous faxes. This is an unclaimed artwork or prank, and artist Bardius Goldberg is the leading suspect. |
| Perception, memory or mind | 1% | Not applicable. |
| Something in the surroundings | 1% | Not applicable. |
| A known natural phenomenon | 1% | Erosion explains only its fading. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 1% | Who made it is unknown, but how is not. |
Official position: Never claimed; South Australian authorities treat it as an unauthorised human-made geoglyph.