For those of you old enough to remember the award winning Australian movie "Picnic at Hanging Rock", directed by Peter Weir, you're in for a treat. Hanging Rock is only 50min from Brunswick & was my destination for today. The movie was based on the 1967 novel of the same name, by Australian author Joan Lindsay. There has always been the question of whether the story was fact or fiction. Either way, it was a chilling tale full of psychological suspense. For those of you too young, or not aware of the story, it goes like this...
On 14/2/1900, St Valentine's Day, a small group of students from a private girls school at nearby Woodend, accompanied by two teachers, journeyed to Hanging Rock for a picnic. The party arrived at the picnic grounds around mid afternoon & had lunch. The buggy operator noticed that his watch had stopped at 12 midday. Coincidentally, one of the female teachers also noted that her watch had done likewise. About an hour before their departure time of 5pm, four of the young ladies decided to take a walk to venture a closer look at the Rock. The group missed their scheduled departure time as the girls failed to return. One girl, Edith, eventually returned to the picnic ground, but with no memory of what occurred on the Rock. Meanwhile, one of the teachers also wandered off & disappeared. The remaining students & teacher returned to the school, understandably distraught. Searches over the following days failed to find any trace of the three girls, Miranda, Marion & Irma or the teacher Miss McCraw. An uninjured Irma was found a week later, also suffering from memory loss. Concerned parents pulled their daughters from the school, which was forced to close. The school principal's body was found at the base of Hanging Rock days later.
It's a few decades since I saw the movie, but I remember there was a strong sense of the Australian bush with the deafening chirp of cicadas & the way the glare of the sun & shadows can mesmerise & play tricks with your eyes.
Hanging Rock is the prominent feature on an otherwise level plain. It is a rare geological formation & is approximately six to seven million years old. It rises 105m above the surrounding plains & 717m above sea level.
Photo: this view of Hanging rock is from a lookout called Camels Hump near Mt Macedon, approx. 10km away.
Photo: a view of Hanging Rock from the road
Hanging Rock is an extinct volcano with steep sides. It is composed of a volcanic rock called trachyte. Trachyte contains more silica & sodium than most other lavas & is extremely viscous. As a result of the lavas high viscosity, it tends to cool in or close to the volcanos vent rather than flow away. As it cools, vertical fractures form within the lava. These fractures expose these areas, making them more susceptible to the effects of erosion through wind, rain & ice, producing the distinctive pinnacles, deep crevices & jumble of massive outcrops you can see.
And up at the summit....
As with the Twelve Apostles, to experience the majesty & natural beauty of Hanging Rock was amazing. It truly is a masterpiece of nature.
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