Hanging Rock, Nature reserve near Mount Macedon, Australia
Hanging Rock is a volcanic formation near Mount Macedon in Victoria, Australia, rising about 105 meters above the surrounding plains. The rocks form irregular towers and blocks shaped by cooling and fracturing magma, creating angular gaps and overhangs.
Tribes of the Dja Dja Wurrung, Woi Wurrung, and Taungurung lived on this land for thousands of years before European settlers arrived in the 19th century. The reserve was established in the 20th century after Joan Lindsay's novel and Peter Weir's 1975 film brought international attention to the site.
The name comes from colonial times and refers to how parts of the rock formation appear to overhang the plains below. Visitors today follow paths that wind through crevices and between boulders, with some sections forming tight passages where you squeeze through narrow openings.
Several walking trails lead through the formation, with some sections crossing uneven rocks and steep staircases. Signs along the routes explain geological features and the connection of the site to its original inhabitants.
The solidified magma formed columns and fractures that give the landscape a geometric structure uncommon in volcanoes of this type. In some places the rocks appear loosely stacked on top of each other, although they are firmly fused to the bedrock.
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