Australian Standing Stones, Glen Innes

The Australian Standing Stones were erected on a hill above Glen Innes in 1992 as a national monument to the Celtic peoples who settled Australia, and the arrangement is deliberate: thirty-eight granite monoliths, the tallest around five and a half metres, set in a circle with alignments marking the solstices and equinoxes, plus stones for each of the Celtic nations and one for the southern hemisphere. The stone is local New England granite, quarried and raised with modern equipment but shaped to look ancient. Glen Innes calls itself Celtic country, holds an Australian Celtic Festival each May and a smaller gathering in November, and the standing stones are the focus of both.

What you actually see

• The stone circle - thirty-eight granite monoliths on an open hilltop.
• The alignments - stones marking solstices, equinoxes and the Celtic nations.
• The Celtic festival - kilts, pipes and gatherings around the stones each May.
• The New England view - open granite country from the hill above town.

When to go

April to November; the New England tableland is cold in winter with frequent frost and occasional snow. The Celtic Festival falls in early May and is the site's liveliest moment. Sunrise at the solstice draws small gatherings.

Honest expectations

The stones are modern, raised in 1992, not an ancient site, and visitors expecting antiquity are disappointed. The site is a short visit, exposed and windswept, with a small interpretive centre nearby. There is little else to it outside festival time.

Nearby

Glen Innes is minutes away; Armidale lies south and the gorge parks east.