Hanging Rock, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Hanging Rock in Central Victoria
, Australia
, is a distinctive geological formation, 718m above sea level (105m above plain level) on the plain between the two small townships of Newham
and Hesket
, approximately 70 km north-west of Melbourne
and a few kilometres north of Mount Macedon
, a former volcano. Best known as the site where a party of schoolgirls disappeared in February 1900 in the book Picnic at Hanging Rock, Hanging Rock is located within the Wurundjeri
nation's territory.
, created 6.25 million years ago by stiff magma pouring from a vent and congealing in place. Often thought to be a volcanic plug, it is not. Two other mamelons exist nearby, created in the same period: Camels Hump
, to the south on Mount Macedon, and to the east, Crozier's Rocks. All three mamelons are made of solvsbergite, a form of trachyte
only found in two or three other places in the world. As Hanging Rock's magma cooled and contracted, it split into rough columns. These weathered over time into the many pinnacles that can be seen today.
Hanging Rock contains numerous distinctive rock formations, including the 'Hanging Rock' itself (a boulder suspended between other boulders, under which is the main entrance path), the Colonnade, the Eagle and the UFO. The highest point on Hanging Rock is 718 metres above sea level and 105 metres above the plain below. Hanging Rock is located within the Wurundjeri
nation's territory but they exercised a custodial responsibility on behalf of the surrounding tribes in the Kulin nation. It was a site of male initiation and as such entry was forbidden except those young males being taken there for ceremonial initiation. After colonial settlement the Aboriginal people of the area were quickly dispossessed and forced out of the area by 1844. However one last initiation ceremony was held there in approximately November 1851 by a Wurundjeri Elder from the Templestowe area in the Yarra Valley. This ceremony was also attended by two young settler's children, Willie Chivers aged eleven and his younger brother Tom Chivers aged seven, who were being cared for on a daily basis by the tribe after their mother had died.
The rock's official name, Mount Diogenes, was bestowed on it by Surveyor Robert Hoddle in 1844, in keeping with the spirit of several ancient Greek names given by Major Thomas Mitchell during his expedition through Victoria in 1836, which passed close to Hanging Rock. Others include Mount Macedon, Mount Alexander
and the Campaspe River
.
Hanging Rock is the centrepiece for the Hanging Rock Recreation Reserve, a public reserve managed by the local government authority. The reserve also includes a forest, horserace track, picnic grounds, creek, interpretation centre and cafe. The reserve is a habitat for endemic flora and fauna, including koalas, wallabies, possums, wedge-tailed eagles and kookaburras.
The reserve is open to the public during daylight hours seven days a week. Entry is charged per vehicle. Camping is possible by arrangement.
The Hanging Rock is now listed on the Register of the National Estate
.
(26 January).
Friends of Hanging Rock, started in 1987, is a community group which holds events open to the public, such as night walks and wildflower tours. The group can be contacted through the ranger.
and published in 1967. The novel dealt with the disappearance of a number of schoolgirls during a visit to the Hanging Rock. Their disappearance was explained in the final chapter, but Lindsay deleted this chapter at the suggestion of her editor, thinking the mystery was greater without it.
The novel inspired the film Picnic at Hanging Rock
, made in 1975 and directed by Peter Weir
. The success of the film was responsible for a substantial increase in visits to the rock and a renewal of interest in the novel. Yvonne Rousseau wrote a book called The Murders at Hanging Rock, published in 1980, which examined possible explanations for the disappearance of the girls.
As a result of the increased interest, the deleted final chapter of the novel was finally published in 1987 as The Secret of Hanging Rock
.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, is a distinctive geological formation, 718m above sea level (105m above plain level) on the plain between the two small townships of Newham
Newham, Victoria
Newham is a small town located in the Shire of Macedon Ranges in Victoria, Australia. It is situated between the towns of Kyneton, Woodend and Lancefield...
and Hesket
Hesket, Victoria
Hesket is a locality in the Macedon Ranges Shire, in Victoria, Australia, situated on the northern side of the Mount Macedon Range.The settlement was originally known as Ferny Creek.Hesket Post Office opened on 1 November 1866 and closed in 1971....
, approximately 70 km north-west of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and a few kilometres north of Mount Macedon
Mount Macedon, Victoria
Mount Macedon is a small town located northwest of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria. It is situated on the side of the mountain of the same name, known as Geboor by the indigenous Wurundjeri people, which rises to above sea level. At the 2006 census, Mount Macedon had a population...
, a former volcano. Best known as the site where a party of schoolgirls disappeared in February 1900 in the book Picnic at Hanging Rock, Hanging Rock is located within the Wurundjeri
Wurundjeri
The Wurundjeri are a people of the Indigenous Australian nation of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin alliance, who occupy the Birrarung Valley, its tributaries and the present location of Melbourne, Australia...
nation's territory.
Hanging Rock
Hanging Rock is a mamelonMamelon (volcanology)
A mamelon is a rock formation created by eruption of relatively thick or stiff lava through a narrow vent in the bedrock. Because the lava is not fluid, it does not flow away; instead it congeals around the vent, forming a small hill or mound on the surface...
, created 6.25 million years ago by stiff magma pouring from a vent and congealing in place. Often thought to be a volcanic plug, it is not. Two other mamelons exist nearby, created in the same period: Camels Hump
Camels Hump
Camels Hump is the highest peak of Mount Macedon, Victoria, Australia, and is located in the Bacchus Marsh Fire District, rising to 1,011 metres in altitude and in cold weather, is covered in snow. It is the rocky outcrop of a once small steep-sided volcano. Camels Hump is one of three mamelons in...
, to the south on Mount Macedon, and to the east, Crozier's Rocks. All three mamelons are made of solvsbergite, a form of trachyte
Trachyte
Trachyte is an igneous volcanic rock with an aphanitic to porphyritic texture. The mineral assemblage consists of essential alkali feldspar; relatively minor plagioclase and quartz or a feldspathoid such as nepheline may also be present....
only found in two or three other places in the world. As Hanging Rock's magma cooled and contracted, it split into rough columns. These weathered over time into the many pinnacles that can be seen today.
Hanging Rock contains numerous distinctive rock formations, including the 'Hanging Rock' itself (a boulder suspended between other boulders, under which is the main entrance path), the Colonnade, the Eagle and the UFO. The highest point on Hanging Rock is 718 metres above sea level and 105 metres above the plain below. Hanging Rock is located within the Wurundjeri
Wurundjeri
The Wurundjeri are a people of the Indigenous Australian nation of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin alliance, who occupy the Birrarung Valley, its tributaries and the present location of Melbourne, Australia...
nation's territory but they exercised a custodial responsibility on behalf of the surrounding tribes in the Kulin nation. It was a site of male initiation and as such entry was forbidden except those young males being taken there for ceremonial initiation. After colonial settlement the Aboriginal people of the area were quickly dispossessed and forced out of the area by 1844. However one last initiation ceremony was held there in approximately November 1851 by a Wurundjeri Elder from the Templestowe area in the Yarra Valley. This ceremony was also attended by two young settler's children, Willie Chivers aged eleven and his younger brother Tom Chivers aged seven, who were being cared for on a daily basis by the tribe after their mother had died.
The rock's official name, Mount Diogenes, was bestowed on it by Surveyor Robert Hoddle in 1844, in keeping with the spirit of several ancient Greek names given by Major Thomas Mitchell during his expedition through Victoria in 1836, which passed close to Hanging Rock. Others include Mount Macedon, Mount Alexander
Mount Alexander
Mount Alexander is a mountain that is located approximately 125 km north-west of Melbourne, near the small town of Harcourt. It rises 350 metres above the surrounding area to a level of 744 metres above sea level...
and the Campaspe River
Campaspe River
The Campaspe River is a river in Victoria, Australia. It was named by Major Mitchell in 1836 for Campaspe, a mistress of Alexander the Great.The river was known as yalooka by the local aboriginal people of the Rochester area.-Course:...
.
Hanging Rock is the centrepiece for the Hanging Rock Recreation Reserve, a public reserve managed by the local government authority. The reserve also includes a forest, horserace track, picnic grounds, creek, interpretation centre and cafe. The reserve is a habitat for endemic flora and fauna, including koalas, wallabies, possums, wedge-tailed eagles and kookaburras.
The reserve is open to the public during daylight hours seven days a week. Entry is charged per vehicle. Camping is possible by arrangement.
The Hanging Rock is now listed on the Register of the National Estate
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
.
Community
Horse races have been held at Hanging Rock for over one hundred years; the Hanging Rock Racing Club holds two race meetings a year on New Year's Day and Australia DayAustralia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
(26 January).
Friends of Hanging Rock, started in 1987, is a community group which holds events open to the public, such as night walks and wildflower tours. The group can be contacted through the ranger.
Influence on the arts
Hanging Rock was the inspiration and setting for the novel Picnic at Hanging Rock, written by Joan LindsayJoan Lindsay
Joan Lindsay, Lady Lindsay was an Australian author, best known for her "ambiguous and intriguing" novel Picnic at Hanging Rock.-Life:...
and published in 1967. The novel dealt with the disappearance of a number of schoolgirls during a visit to the Hanging Rock. Their disappearance was explained in the final chapter, but Lindsay deleted this chapter at the suggestion of her editor, thinking the mystery was greater without it.
The novel inspired the film Picnic at Hanging Rock
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Picnic at Hanging Rock is a 1967 drama and mystery novel by Australian author Joan Lindsay. She wrote it over a four-week period at her home Mulberry Hill in Baxter, on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. It was first published in 1967 in Australia by Cheshire Publishing and was released in...
, made in 1975 and directed by Peter Weir
Peter Weir
Peter Lindsay Weir, AM is an Australian film director. After playing a leading role in the Australian New Wave cinema with his films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave and Gallipoli, Weir directed a diverse group of American and international films—many of them major box office...
. The success of the film was responsible for a substantial increase in visits to the rock and a renewal of interest in the novel. Yvonne Rousseau wrote a book called The Murders at Hanging Rock, published in 1980, which examined possible explanations for the disappearance of the girls.
As a result of the increased interest, the deleted final chapter of the novel was finally published in 1987 as The Secret of Hanging Rock
The Secret of Hanging Rock
The Secret of Hanging Rock is a previously unpublished chapter of Joan Lindsay's 1967 book Picnic at Hanging Rock and contains the "solution" to the mystery in that book...
.
External links
- http://www.hangingrock.info/