Australian Standing Stones

The first settlers in the Glen Innes region were of Scottish origin. The Australian Standing Stones began as an ambitious project marking this Celtic heritage, the megalithic stone monument resulted.

Three months were spent scouring the bush within 50km of Glen Innes for the stones. The stones were required to stand 3.7 metres from ground level and be 5.5 metres in total length. Only three were used in their natural state. Subsequently hours were spent in the bush drilling massive granite rocks. Using a 12 tonne forklift the stones were transported to the Centennial Parklands site. The weight of each stone averaged 17 tonnes.

The stone circle consists of 24 stones, representing the 24 hours of the day. Four "cardinal" stones mark north, east, south and west. These four stones, with a single stone just inside the circle, form the Southern Cross -symbolising the link between the old and new worlds. Other stones mark the summer and winter solstices, the longest and shortest days of the year.