14 FEBRUARY: HANGING ROCK

It's a long, and largely uninteresting, drive from Geelong to Hanging Rock, so we were keen to check into our accommodation as soon as we arrived. This was to be our only B&B stopover in Victoria, at 'Auberge'. And what a place it was! The gardens give an idea of the comfort, seclusion and the level of attention to detail that has gone into this place.

We were greeted by Patricia, the owner, and shown to our sumptuous and comfortable rooms which, like the rest of the house, were decorated in Chinese style, much of the furniture and artifacts coming from Taiwan, where Patricia lived for many years. 

It was a hot afternoon so Nic and Lin decided to stay and relax in the garden while Sue and Steve headed for the nearby Hanging Rock Recreation Reserve.

Hanging Rock:

At 718m above sea level, Hanging Rock is a mamelon, created 6.25 million years ago by stiff magma flowing from a vent and congealing in place.As the magma cooled and contracted it split into rough columns and these weathered over time into the many pinnacles we could see. High soda content in the solid lava and the action of rainwater has created the unusual rock formations, known to geologists as soda trachyte.

Hanging Rock is located within the Wurundjeri nation's territory and was a site of male initiation, In 1836 it was named 'Mount Diogenes' by Major Thomas Mitchell and is thought to have been a refuge for bushrangers during the Gold Rush era.

When the path made way for stone steps leading to the Pinnacle Sue decided to sit it out while Steve climbed the remainder .........

........eventually reappearing, triumphant.

'Picnic at Hanging Rock:

'Whether Fact or Fiction, my readers must decide for themselves. As the fateful picnic took place in the year nineteen hundred, and all the characters who appear in the book are long since dead, it hardly seems to matter........a lot of very strange things have happened around the area of Hanging Rock - things that have no logical explanation.' (Joan Lindsay)

First published in 1967 and made into a successful film in 1975, 'Picnic at Hanging Rock', written by Joan Lindsay, tells the tale of a group of schoolgirls and one teacher from Appleyard College who, on Valentine's Day 1900 disappeared never to be seen again. And here were we, 116 years later to the day!

'Picnic at Hanging Rock' has gained Urban Legend status but is the story true?

• In the novel Valentine's Day 1900 is set on a Saturday. The actual day was a Wednesday.
• There is no official record of any of the characters in the story ever having existed.
• There are no police records of the events depicted in the novel.
• Appleyard College does not exist and was based on the school from Lindsay's childhood in Melbourne.

29th Annual Picnic at Hanging Rock:

Before leaving and heading back to 'Auberge' there was just time to take a quick look at some of the pristine and beautiful vintage cars assembled today for the 29th annual event of the Macedon Ranges and District Motor Club.