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<< Our Photo Pages >> Esperance Stonehenge - Modern Stone Circle etc in Australia

Submitted by Andy B on Monday, 19 September 2011  Page Views: 13320

Modern SitesSite Name: Esperance Stonehenge Alternative Name: 'Stonehenge Down Under'
Country: Australia Type: Modern Stone Circle etc
Nearest Town: Esperance
Latitude: 33.7879S  Longitude: 122.029600E
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
5 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
no data Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
5 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
5

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Esperance Stonehenge
Esperance Stonehenge submitted by Devere : Site in Australia (Vote or comment on this photo)
A full-sized replica of Stonehenge is now complete about 15 km to the east of the town of Esperance along Merivale Road towards Cape Le Grande. The town of Esperance in western Australia is known for its fabulous beaches. It is hoped the attraction will draw more visitors to the town.

Esperance Stonehenge is currently under construction on the South Coast of Western Australia. While there are thought to be 66 large, permanent replicas of Stonehenge throughout the world, the Esperance project is believed to be the only life size stone one.

Esperance Stonehenge is close to being completed with the outer lintels the only stones left to be placed. All of the ten central stones have been erected and lintels placed on all of them. The 19 blue stones and the alter stones have also being placed, which has completed the inner circle. The grass has been laid within the central stones with the grass in the outer circle to be laid when the outer lintels are placed. We are currently open for viewing whilst under construction for $5 per adult. We currently have no eftpos facilities available.

The tourists that have been out to see Esperance Stonehenge have been astounded about the size and magnitude of the build. Many have said they will be back to see the finished product.

Link to official web site: http://www.esperancestonehenge.com.au

The story of the construction: The shire council in Esperance, 460 miles south-west of Perth, has approved plans for the A$1.2m (£722,749) project, which it hopes will generate much-needed tourist revenue for the small coastal community – its only attraction at the moment is small piece of the US Skylab which fell onto a nearby farm in 1979.

"Stonehenge Down Under" is being spearheaded by the local Rotary club, which wants to build the structure from local pink granite on a council-owned site overlooking Twilight Beach, just outside the town. [makes a change from Australia's Stonehenge I suppose - MegP Ed]

Kim Beale, a spokesman for the Esperance Rotary Club, said the Australian version would be a faithful reproduction of the original Neolithic structure in Wiltshire and will consist of 100 stones, each weighing up to 45 tons.
"Obviously some people may wonder why you'd build Stonehenge at Esperance, but the stone is already here and I think it's a good opportunity. I reckon it's quite fascinating," he said.

Although local tourism operators have thrown their weight behind the prehistoric theme park, other townspeople remain sceptical – an earlier Stonehenge proposal ran into financial difficulties. Rotary, however, is confident that it can raise the necessary funds to complete the new project with giant cut stones donated by a local quarry. Work on Stonehenge Mk 2 is due to begin shortly.

Source: Telegraph, spotted by Runemage


Note: Photos of the pink granite Stonehenge in southern Australia which is nearing completion
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Esperance Stonehenge
Esperance Stonehenge submitted by Aluta : Picture of the newly completed Stonehenge replica in Esperance, Western Australia, from the Esperance Express. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Esperance Stonehenge
Esperance Stonehenge submitted by theCaptain : The relatively new Stonehenge copy at Esperance in Western Austraia - photo from my long lost / recently found relative Rachael. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Esperance Stonehenge
Esperance Stonehenge submitted by Devere : Site in Australia (Vote or comment on this photo)

Do not use the above information on other web sites or publications without permission of the contributor.

Nearby Images from Flickr
2021-03-22 (2) Entering Stonehenge (video)
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Esperance Stonehenge 360
Esperance

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"Esperance Stonehenge" | Login/Create an Account | 17 News and Comments
  
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Australian Stonehenge finally completed by Andy B on Saturday, 05 November 2011
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The latest full-sized Stonehenge replica was completed this week when the outer circle lintels were heaved into place. The pink granite replica, originally commissioned by Ross Smith, abandoned for lack of funds, debated in the town council of Esperance, WA, and finally privately bought and built by Kim and Jillian Beale, is expected to draw tourists and provide a site for photographs and weddings. Congratulations to the Beales! We welcome yet another entry to the list of replicas of the hulking grey creature of the Down.

Article in the Esperance Express can be read here, with a photo.
http://www.esperanceexpress.com.au/news/local/news/general/stonehenge-completed/2346278.aspx
with thanks to Aluta for the link
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Esperance Stonehenge captures magic by Anonymous on Wednesday, 21 September 2011
There has to be something deeply important to humanity about the whole Stonehenge-type concept for people from all over the planet to want to have their own share in it. There are a couple of faux pyramids but no Hanging Gardens or Baalbeks or World Trade Centers 1 and 2 (and certainly no Building 7!) so what is it about this place that hooks us so completely? We now very little of its builders. We can reasonably surmise the building and transport techniques employed and marvel at the effort required by our ancestors to accomplish such a feat, not just on Salisbury Plain but at Avebury and Stanton Drew and hundreds of other sites. But we can never be entirely sure of its purpose, some elegant theories notwithstanding. And why at this specific place? The answers must surely lie within a realm of spirituality that is now lost.
The Esperance project is great fun but I would be more impressed if they had built it by hand from stone 10 miles and 200 miles distant and dragged them through forest and marsh and across rivers and estuaries without the benefit of so much as a wheel. And then, the final test, let it stand for four-and-a-half millennia and still be the cause of wonder.
[ Reply to This ]

Esperance Stonehenge captures magic by Andy B on Monday, 19 September 2011
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You are standing among some strategically placed rocks . . . massive rocks in the middle of a paddock.

Look straight ahead through a portal and you can see some spectacular scenery.

Turn 90 degrees and you can see the coast; a ship is passing by at that exact time. Another turn and there's a port; a small city a bit further away in the distance.

While the views are amazing, the strategic placing of these massive rocks gets the mind working.

More, with photos at
http://www.perthnow.com.au/travel/esperance-stonehenge-captures-the-magic/story-e6frg3u3-1226102827054
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Esperance Stonehenge captures magic by Runemage on Tuesday, 20 September 2011
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    It looks strange, doesn't it, so geometric and perpendicular, no lichen to give a change of colour to the newly-hewn stone. They say it's as yet unfinished. I wonder how they will fix the lintels as there are no tenons. No More Nails maybe ;-)
    [ Reply to This ]
    Re: Esperance Stonehenge captures magic by TheCaptain on Tuesday, 20 September 2011
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    Thats a nice article, and if I was in the region, I'd go visit, hoping to find the microbrewery functioning! Those big pinky granite stones look lovley.
    [ Reply to This ]

Re: Build it and they'll come - and pay to get in by Devere on Monday, 19 September 2011
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Tourists are flocking to the site which is nearing completion - mock it all you like, but its bringing in tourist dollars to an isolated country town. I've posted some photos.
[ Reply to This ]

Build it and they'll come - for a laugh by Andy B on Monday, 10 May 2010
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Phillipe More writes "You can hear the Brits guffawing over plans to recreate Stonehenge on a beach in Western Australia."

THE town of Esperance, Western Australia, either deliberately or inadvertently has decided to create the biggest monument to "cultural cringe" since the phrase was coined in 1950 by A. A. Phillips in Meanjin magazine. I am not clear as to who is cringing from what but let's accept the general view that it meant we colonials instinctively felt inferior to British culture – except in sport, where the Brits once tried to kill us with cricket balls, which was unmanly.

As has been gleefully and widely reported in the British press, this town plans to build a $1.2 million replica of the about-4000-year-old Stonehenge on Twilight Beach as a tourist attraction. This is taking pandering to our former colonial masters to the extreme. Can you imagine the Brits building a replica of Uluru in Wiltshire? Will we now build Buckingham Palace in Perth? Perhaps the Sydney Harbour Bridge should be replaced with a London Bridge and the Opera House replaced by a Tower of London.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/build-it-and-theyll-come--for-a-laugh-20100508-ukra.html
[ Reply to This ]

Re: 'Stonehenge Down Under' by Anonymous on Thursday, 22 April 2010
Hey, and when the sea starts to wash it away, they can move it somewhere else..
[ Reply to This ]

Re: 'Stonehenge Down Under' by Anonymous on Thursday, 22 April 2010
stonehenge on any site? the original was built to line up, draw and learn from energy lines. it worked on water spirals which is unlikely in Oz
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Stonehenge Down Under by MikeAitch on Thursday, 22 April 2010
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Part of me feels it's a shame they don't do something to celebrate their own aboriginal heritage instead of 'replicating' stonehenge, but as it's the rotary club I guess it will help good causes so good luck to 'em :-)
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Stonehenge Down Under by Andy B on Thursday, 22 April 2010
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Ha, so the stones had already been cut for the other project that fell through, and the current group bought them from the liquidators - good spot.

"OK, our next lot is a lovely Stonehenge replica, one previous owner, but it's in pink, hope that's not a problem..".

I think I'll call it 'Knock-off-henge' or Secondhandhenge.
Even then £720,000 is still an awful lot of money isn't it...

[ Reply to This ]

Re: Stonehenge Down Under by davidmorgan on Thursday, 22 April 2010
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Looks like they might get a view of the December solstice sunrise coming up out of the sea. Nice one!
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Re: Stonehenge Down Under by Aluta on Thursday, 22 April 2010
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Thanks, Mike! And I see that they will be using the stone cut for the Ross Smith Stonehenge. A similar article asserts that it will be the only full-sized replica of Stonehenge. The reporter who wrote your apparently knew better.
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Re: Stonehenge Down Under by MikeAitch on Thursday, 22 April 2010
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Looks like they're going for the imagined original look, article with clickable photo here
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Re: Stonehenge Down Under by Aluta on Thursday, 22 April 2010
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I wondered what happened with that other one that was announced with so much fanfare a couple of years ago (the Ross Smith Stonehenge)--that may be the one that ran into financial troubles.

I always wonder what they mean when they say it will be a faithful reproduction. There are so many variables--circle diameter, ditch and bank, both sarsens and bluestones, Aubrey holes, size of the stones, shapes of the stones (so many just want to make them simple and rectangular), and, of course, will it be a reproduction of the imagined original state of the monument or of it in its current state?

I'll be curious to see it, as will, I'm sure the people at Stonehenge Aotearoa, who could feel a bit infringed with the Stonehenge Down Under title.
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Re: "Stonehenge Down Under" by Andy B on Wednesday, 21 April 2010
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Just the sort of story we need to liven up an otherwise boring Wednesday. I wonder if anyone can find a drawing of what they are planning. Given that it's going to be pink, it might have some other followers, is 'Gayhenge' going too far?!
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