The trip to Mt Macedon today turned out to be a lot gloomier and damper than expected, but the clouds and misty rain had a sort of charm of their own. We left behind a beautiful sunny morning in Melbourne and hit heavy grey skies and showers on the way.
First we drove up Mt Macedon, past huge houses with lovely grounds, to see the Memorial Cross. As we walked up the path to where it stood, it suddenly loomed out of the drizzle before us.
Here's the view from the lookout....
After that we headed to the famous Hanging Rock, the setting of the classic Australian novel and movie Picnic at Hanging Rock. The clouds had started to lift, and by the time we got to the summit, we could see the surrounding countryside.
I saw a small segment of a rainbow in the distance.
It was the first time either of us has been to Hanging Rock. I liked it - lots of lichen-covered, pinnacle-shaped rocks to climb on and around (carefully, the rocks were wet and slippery), panoramic views, some impressive eucalyptus trees, and there is a slightly spooky feel to it, or maybe that's all in the mind. At one stage Luke and I headed off in separate directions and I couldn't find him. I waited in the same spot for a while and there was no one else around. When I called out, he didn't answer. I admit I got a mild dose of the heebie-jeebies (plus I was worried he'd fallen off!).
The Hanging Rock formation is a mamelon, which comes from the French word for nipple (If you click on the link above you'll see why). I find this rather amusing, because I'm juvenile and because nipple is a funny word. A mamelon (geologically speaking) is a rock formation created by viscous lava pushing up through a narrow crack in the earth.
Oh, it was rather chilly, but I was very toasty in my fat, puffy parka with furry hood.
The actual Hanging Rock formation for which the mamelon (teehee)
has become known. Its proper name is Mt Diogenes.
Oh, it was rather chilly, but I was very toasty in my fat, puffy parka with furry hood.
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