-33.7879°N 122.0296°WEsperance Stonehenge is a full-sized replica of Stonehenge, in Esperance, Western Australia. It was built from 137 locally quarried stones of up to, and is aligned to the summer and winter solstices.[1] It is designed to be a copy of the original, intact Stonehenge from, rather than the currently extant ruins.[2]
The stone was originally quarried and shaped for a similar project in Margaret River in 2008, funded by a millionaire. That project fell through after 12 months, after the stone had already been cut. The Rotary Club of Esperance promoted the idea of building a Stonehenge replica locally, but the plan was controversial, received mixed reactions from the community, and there was no agreed-upon site.[3]
Kim and Jillian Beale, who owned a hobby farm across from the quarry, decided to build the replica on their property with their own money in 2011,[2] after receiving approval from the Shire of Esperance in 2010.[4] It was designed by architect Michael Sorensen of Sorensen Architects, and used of Desert Brown granite supplied and installed by AustralAsian Granite. It is operated as a tourist attraction,[5] charging $10 per adult .[6]