Lake Eyre and the Marree Man

Leaving the Flinders Ranges behind us, we travelled further north to the small outback town of Marree to witness the rare phenomenon of Lake Eyre with water. Usually a large dry salt lake, the recent flood waters in Western Queensland are slowly draining down the river systems and filling Lake Eyre. The water is not visible from the road.... yet, but maybe in a couple of months time, so the only way to see it is from the air.

It was a perfect early morning flight, visibility was great and it was amazing to see the sheer size of the salt lake. Where the water was coming in at a rate of 2-3km per day, the lake was coming to life. There were even pelicans.

There were other interesting geological formations as well as the Marree Man - an enormous geoglyph etched in the ground. It is about 3km tall and 28km perimeter and depicts an aboriginal man with a throwing stick and is believed to be one of the largest in the world. However, it's origins are a bit of a mystery. It only appeared in 1998 and the artist/s have never been identified. It could have been made by army personnel stationed in the area at that time... or it could have been organised by the owner of the Marree Hotel to drum up some publicity. I have positioned the marker on the Marree Man on the map so you can see it from Google Earth.

So, it was an interesting trip to see Lake Eyre with water but the town of Marree has nothing going for it. At least it was a sealed road to get there ( and we can say we have been in the Oodnadatta Track)Read more