Suppose you are looking for a property that you can eventually turn into something profitable and happens to be a history lover at the same time. In that case, this massive farmland in Australia may be suitable for you.
Australia's version of the famous Stonehenge - a historical landmark originally located in Salisbury, England is now looking for a new owner with a price tag of $2.35 million. The Stonehenge replica sits on a sprawling estate at the north of Esperance in Western Australia, roughly 15,000 kilometers from the original ancient landmark.
The UNESCO World Heritage-declared historical landmark was built around 3000 BC, while its relatively unknown doppelganger was build 5,000 years later. According to news.com.au, the construction of the Stonehenge version in the Land Down Under took place in 2011 and was completed after ten months.
The Australian Stonehenge is made out of 137 stones of Esperance pink granite that came from Merivale Rd, Myrup, which is approximately 19 kilometers from Esperance. Its tallest stone measured eight-meter high.
The replica is built to align with the sun's movement. During summer mornings, the sun's rays align with the station stones and shine through to the altar stone. During winter sunset, the exact alignment repeats in reverse.
If you want to have such a cool feature in your backyard, you better prepare the said amount, which comes with 87 hectares of adjoining farmland, a three-bedroom house, and a double garage, which currently serves as a gift shop.
Life-size replica of Stonehenge, just outside of Esperance, Western Australia. Bonkers. #wanderoutyonder #JustAnotherDayInWA #Stonehenge #ThisIsNotASpinalTapMoment pic.twitter.com/Q9x3DVJeSQ
— Reezy Miller (@Trixie_Boo) January 19, 2021
How did a Stonehenge replica land in Australia?
In an interview with owners Kim and Jillian Beale in the 2017 reality TV show "Unreal Estate," they gave a quick background on how the Stonehenge replica ended up in their backyard.
"The quarry next door to our cattle farm was doing the stonework for a multi-millionaire who came up with the idea," Jillian Beale said.
"He was going to take it down to Margaret River but ran into financial problems. They had spent 12 months working on the granite replica and needed someone to take it on. We decided it was too good a thing to leave in the quarry," he added.
Now that Mr. and Mrs. Beale is about to retire, they decided to list the massive estate along with subdividing and selling off some of their other properties last year.
Meanwhile, the couple's agent Paul Duffy of Century 21 Advance Realty Bunbury, explained that the Stonehenge in Australia was built to showcase how historians think the original historical landmark would have looked back in 1950BC.
"It directly lines up to the sun here at certain times of the year and is an exact replica of Stonehenge in the UK; the same height and the same dimension," Duffy said.
"It's just a completed version, and probably a version that will last a lot longer because our pink granite is a lot harder than the original stone," he added.
RT @lke73_historian: Yep. It's #Stonehenge. In #Esperance, Western Australia. And that's my Dad. @WestAustralia http://t.co/DGCCFRtAqU
— Western Australia (@WestAustralia) August 8, 2015
Business Opportunities
Besides having a piece of history in your backyard, the listing agents said that future owners could turn the property into a profitable business. The area attracts more than 16,000 tourists per year.
"They have booked in quite a few weddings, but so far, there's been nowhere for couples to then have their reception. So, if you were to set up maybe some chalets, or a reception area where people can be catered for, then you could expand the business," Duffy explained.
"It would also be suitable for farm stays, a microbrewery, or even a restaurant," he added.
