The Hanging Rock

On a lovely sunny day we decided to spend the day together and visit the Hanging Rock (formally known as Mount Diogenes), in central Victoria, Australia. It 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. Hanging Rock is located within the Wurundjeri nation's territory. It is best known through the fictional story 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'.

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.

You can walk up there and you have a beautiful view over the whole area. The weather was awesome and we could even see kangaroos on a field while they were enjoying the sun maybe as much a we did. It's incredible how the rocks have formed and that you are still be able to get up there and see this formation. We were even so lucky to see a koala on a tree. When you are up there and have a small spot where you can sit onto and watch over the land, you feel so peaceful and happy. You have the feeling you can actually breathe and forget about the rest of the world. No sorrows, no worries, no problems.