In the shadow of Stonehenge

JUST where did those big rocks come from? Amid the myths and legends, Barry Oliver stands in the shadows and tries to uncover the mystery of Stonehenge.

AS you travel around Australia and the rest of the world, you learn about the history of different places.

You find out how and when something was built and usually by whom.

In many places, the history lends to the character of the entire area.

The Coliseum of Rome is a great example. You can stand inside its walls, close your eyes and almost hear the roar of the crowd as gladiators fought ferocious lions for entertainment.

At Stonehenge, though, it is the uncertainty of its history that has hundreds of thousands of travellers heading out to the Salisbury Plains in England each year.

A number of tour companies organise trips to Stonehenge from Bath, or nearby Salisbury.

Bath and Stonehenge Tours was recommended to me by a family I met on the double-decker bus that showed me around Bath.

My tour driver, Alan, had lived in the area all his life and his knowledge of it and Stonehenge's mystery was outstanding. He has an answer to every question.

While the rocks themselves aren't massive, the car park is and apparently it is always full.

The price of admission includes a set of headphones that prompt you to walk around the stones. You simply press a button to start the personal guided tour.

The day I visited, there was constant drizzle and some people were trying to break records to see how quickly they could get around the path and back to their cars. Perhaps it will be an Olympic event when London hosts the games in 2012.

I went prepared with a raincoat, so I was able to have the rocks to myself for a while and listen as each view was explained from strategic vantage points along the way.

I had hoped it would be an opportunity for me to perhaps see something that scientists from all different fields had missed over the years – but no such luck.

In fact, at times I struggled to see what the small voice in my head was describing to me. The theories of others come from decades of investigation, a bit more than the hour I had.

Myths, monsters and legends

When Stonehenge opened to the public, visitors were able to walk among the stones. They could even climb them.

But when English Heritage took over responsibility of the site, it was devastated by the damage that had been done and stopped the interaction in 1987.

Now you can't get within 10m of the stones, so they can be preserved.

But that doesn't stop modern druids, hippies and tourists gathering on and around the landmark every year for the Summer Solstice.

Stonehenge is a listed World Heritage site with UNESCO and is also a legally protected Scheduled Ancient Monument. The site wmade the "New 7 Wonders" shortlist last year.

Those who have studied Stonehenge believe it was built in several phases and can pinpoint that to between 3000 and 6500 years ago.

You can get a good idea of the most popular beliefs and findings from visiting the official website.

Archeologists believe the first stones were erected somewhere around 2200BC, but others believe there is evidence dating it to 3100BC.

Stonehenge is believed to have been used for many different purposes, one almost certainly as the earliest crematorium in the British Isles.

The tour is rated PG and is not about to give your children nightmares.

One story is that giants brought the rocks from Africa – some say Ireland, some say Wales – and some say they were excavated from the nearby plains.

The great thing is, you can assume anything you want about Stonehenge. Make up your own mind.

Why is it there? Who put it there? What was it used for? No one can say for sure, so no one can say you are wrong.

I have my theories and they are just that, theories, but I will keep them to myself so you can make up your own mind.

But you will be hard-pressed convincing me that giants or Merlin the Magician brought them there for use as healing stones.