If you like your outcrops rocky and your bushwalks relatively easy, then Hanging Rock is for you. Around an hour north west of Melbourne, you will find this natural gem, hugging the side of a picturesque country racetrack, which was literally teeming with roos!
There are three relatively short trails with the longest and hardest being the Hanging Rock summit walk, at 1800m return, class 3 track and a proposed walking time of 50 minutes. Make sure you drop into the info centre before you head off. There are interesting deets on the history of the area, along with the woo woo story of the school girls who went missing on Valentine’s Day in 1900 (cue eerie pan flutes.)
Miranda, Edith, Irma and Marion went off to explore with their teacher Mrs McGraw. Edith returned with a case of bushwalking amnesia (I’m famous for that, just ask all my friends – Them “Are there any more freaking ginormous hills?” Me “Nah, we’ve done all the hard bits” Us – facing a Kilimanjaro sized hill!)
Irma was found unconscious later, many of the students were withdrawn from the school, most of the staff resigned, one girl died falling from the school tower and the headmistress died by suicide off the rock. Wurundjeri magic, mystical time warp or just plain BS? Ask the rock! But let’s not make it all about the mystery, as tempting as that is.
Make sure you go up via the stairs as this is where the “actual” hanging rock is, marked by a sign that says 5. Hanging Rock. It’s very cool and an amazing photo opportunity. There are other numbered stations, 3. Vampire Cliff, but being the height of noon, siesta time for vamps! Speaking of photo ops, there are a plethora of places to dangle dangerously from for a soporific selfie! (Alliteration is lit!)
While there were a bunch of tourists enjoying the pleasures of Hanging Rock, there were also plenty of side tracks to explore alone, with incredible views over stunning countryside, and it’s definitely one of those places where you go “Oo, I haven’t taken a photo of that rock!”
After we had summitted (I kind of say that in jest as it isn’t Everest, right?), we did the creek walk with a side trip to the left around the racetrack. There is a great photo of the rock from the racetrack side at the info centre and I wanted to get it. That was the precise moment a mob of around 30 kangaroos boinged (yep that’s a word) across the racecourse. It was a surreal and awesome sight. I was standing on a picnic table, videoing and photographing them over the wire fence and my other half was at ground level, not far from them, but separated by the fence. They were super interested in us, particularly a couple of big reds who started to square up!
I highly recommend Hanging Rock. It was a chill day in the heart of some amazing Victorian countryside, and plenty of people utilized the BBQ’s and picnic areas. While the walking trails were pretty tame, I wouldn’t take Nanna and her wheelie walker there.
