Hanging Rock or Mount Diogenes lies near the townships of Woodend and Mount Macedon. This jagged outcrop, rising up from an open plain around 50 miles north-west of Melbourne, is the eroded remains of an extinct volcano. The rock is over 6 million years old, formed by an eruption of magma. Over time ice and wind shaped the unique rock pinnacles seen today.
This former volcano tells many tales about the history of the Macedon Ranges. It is very important both culturally and spiritually to the area’s 100 or so indigenous peoples. The site was used for sacred ceremonies and rituals. However, they avoided venturing to the rock’s summit, which they believed to be inhabited by evil spirits.
Perhaps Hanging Rock is more famously known as the main setting for Joan Lindsay’s 1967 best-selling book, “Picnic at Hanging Rock” and Peter Weir’s film of the same title.
This sci-fi, psychological thriller set in 1900 tells about a group of girls in an Australian boarding school who mysteriously vanish at Hanging Rock while on a Valentine’s Day picnic. Although the novel is entirely fictional, it is framed as though it is a true story, leaving audiences at the edge of their seats with many unanswered questions.
After their picnic lunch, four of the girls, Miranda, Edith, Irma and Marion, decide to climb and explore Hanging Rock with their teacher, Ms McCraw. In an inexplicable turn of events, the girls simply vanish – except for Edith who is hysterical and cannot explain what actually happened!
The boarding school and entire community is thrown into chaos and an intensive search for the girls ensues. One of the missing girls, Irma, is found at Hanging Rock, unconscious but unharmed. A series of terrible events follow with students pulling out from the boarding school, teachers quitting unexpectedly, a schoolgirl committing suicide and the headmistress, Mrs Appleyard killing herself by jumping off Hanging Rock. The community is not spared either and the story ends with the school and police station going up in flames.
The ending for the novel and film leaves audiences “hanging” in suspense as none of the missing girls are ever found. Fiction or folklore? We will never know!
Hanging Rock still commads an air of history, mystery and intrigue today. It remains a popular picnic spot and provides a backdrop for music concerts, markets and horse races.
Dancing With Shadows 
Spooky stuff! It would be scary to try the hike at night. 🙂 All the ghosts may come out. lol. Loved your pictures and the trail looks like good fun.
You are absolutely right. It can become quite creepy when it gets dark. Most visitors leave before sunset so the place becomes quiet. So many shadows, trees, hidden corners and hidden rock passages. Watching the film doesn’t help because many of the scenes in the film looks eerily familiar! 😅