A massive figure of an Aboriginal man has been found carved into the desert in the Australian outback near the tiny town of Marree, about 600 km north of Adelaide. Police yesterday said the discovery was no mystery.
"It's not that spooky, not unless they drive Toyotas," Senior Constable Paul Liersch was quoted as saying in the Australian newspaper.
The four-km-long figure, with an outline of about 30 km, depicts an Aboriginal man poised to throw a spear and is claimed to be the largest artwork in the world, five times larger than ancient drawings at Nasca in the Peruvian desert.
Police have found clues including a satellite photograph of the figure, a small US flag and a note believed to refer to the Branch Davidian cult in the US. Sections of the Australian media were quick to suggest possible alien involvement but Mr Liersch said the outline appeared to have been carved by farm machinery. "I found toilet paper out there so if it has been done from space, they're fairly much like us," Mr Liersch said.
He said it was more likely the work of locals seeking to make a tourist attraction for Marree, which has a population of 60.
The state Aboriginal Affairs Department said yesterday it had sent officials to investigate the figure.
The Branch Davidian cult came to international attention during am armed siege at its headquarters in Waco, Texas, in 1993. The siege ended in mass death when members set their buildings alight when raided by police.