Sunday 12 January 2014

Pick Nix at Hanging Rock

Far out of Melbourne - to North West
There lies a magic treasure chest
A rock formation, stark, bizarre
That arrests the gaze, seen from afar.

It's farming country - little towns
Nestle in the rolling downs
Huge squat houses, large domains
Lay scattered over sun-drenched plains.

A small sign, almost too discreet
Guides us up a dusty street
The object of our trip today
A scenic, rugged rock display.

In seventy-five, Peter Weir
His iconic "picnic" filmed up here.
A walkway takes us to the top
And I'm photographed at "Hanging Rock"!

An Edwardian girls' school, ivory-clad
Had a day trip to the highest crag.
With stupendous views of valley floor
Some girls set out to explore.

But no trace of them was ever found
So the mystery lingers all around.
Fact or fiction? What is real?
The whole place has a special feel.

This beauty spot once wild, neglected
Is, thanks to the film, protected.
The tourists in their hordes come by
And picnic under cloudless sky!

(c) Poet in the woods 2014







The film "Picnic at Hanging Rock" was based on Joan Lindsay's 1967 book, and came out to great acclaim in 1975.




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