The re-emergence of South Australia's iconic Marree Man has been hailed as a tourism boost for the state's far north.
The 4km long outline, the origins of which remain a mystery, had all but faded from view after its discovery southeast of Lake Eyre in 1998.
But a determined group of mates has used imaging data and a grader to bring him back.
"We could see it was fading rapidly and, from a tourism perspective, to lose such an extraordinary myth and mystery would be a tragedy," Marree Hotel co-owner Phil Turner told AAP on Saturday.
The group collaborated with the Arabana Aboriginal Corporation, and compiled imaging data to ensure they were retracing the original.
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"Then it came to, `What do we use as a paintbrush to restore this work of art'? And we came to a grader," Mr Turner said.
"It will be there forever not because of the work we've done but because we've created wind grooves.
"The graded wind rows trap water ... so over time Marree Man is going to turn green."
Mr Turner said the re-emergence of the icon would be a significant boost for year-round tourism in a region largely reliant on seasonal attractions such as Lake Eyre when it filled.
He expected a 10 per cent increase in overnight stays to inject millions into the far north.
