Hanging Rock
This is a long overdue post from our school holidays in April. During one of our “days off” (ie, a day Ella is in daycare) we decided to do something as a foursome, as we knew it would probably be our last chance to do so before the baby came along.
Our original plan was to cycle the Capital City Trail, which Andy and I did a year ago and found it a great way to see the city. We borrowed our neighbour’s bike for my mom to ride, but when Andy was pumping up the tires one of them blew, so unfortunately we had to come up with Plan B: a day trip to the Macedon Ranges and Hanging Rock.
Hanging Rock is a volcanic formation and sacred Aboriginal site. It’s best known for a the fictitious event portrayed in the movie (and novel) Picnic at Hanging Rock. I’ve never seen it but feel I should, as it is a pretty famous and iconic Australian film. Coincidentally, there is a remake of the movie out now, which we definitely need to watch!
It’s about an hour drive from our place in Melbourne, so an easy distance for a day trip. There is a $10 (per car) entrance fee into the park, which has a café, picnic grounds, BBQs, a playground and with a small Discovery Centre with information about Hanging Rock and the local area.
Before tackling the walk to the summit we had some coffee and cake at the café. Lying in the sun was this kangaroo, a local resident who is often hanging around. Apparently this kangaroo is 20 years old, which is old for a kangaroo, as the average lifespan is 14 years. (Fact I learned at the café). She was very docile, letting kids pet her and everything. I highly recommend the walnut and sticky date cake at the café (but not the coffee).
The walk up to the top of Hanging Rock is pretty cool. It doesn’t take long, about 20 minutes, but is pretty steep. I did have to rest a few times, but would have been fine if not 7 months pregnant! There are lots of very unusual rock formations at the summit which you could easily get lost wandering around in.
Once we got back down to the bottom we checked out the Discovery Centre before heading to the nearby town of Woodend for some lunch. On recommendation from our neighbour we checked out the Holgate Brewhouse, an independent, family-owned brewery. We trialled a variety of their beers with a tasting paddle, and luckily we all have different “favourite” beers, my dad likes a porter, Andy prefers a lager, and I love a wheat or Belgian style beer. No one seems to like anything too “hoppy” so those ones got left until last!
Once we finished lunch we had time for a quick ice cream before heading back to Melbourne to pick up Ella. All in all it was a really nice day spent with my parents, and upon doing research there is plenty to see in the Macedon Ranges region. As it is so close to Melbourne, I can see it being an ideal day trip or weekend away once the new baby comes along.
Our original plan was to cycle the Capital City Trail, which Andy and I did a year ago and found it a great way to see the city. We borrowed our neighbour’s bike for my mom to ride, but when Andy was pumping up the tires one of them blew, so unfortunately we had to come up with Plan B: a day trip to the Macedon Ranges and Hanging Rock.
Hanging Rock is a volcanic formation and sacred Aboriginal site. It’s best known for a the fictitious event portrayed in the movie (and novel) Picnic at Hanging Rock. I’ve never seen it but feel I should, as it is a pretty famous and iconic Australian film. Coincidentally, there is a remake of the movie out now, which we definitely need to watch!
It’s about an hour drive from our place in Melbourne, so an easy distance for a day trip. There is a $10 (per car) entrance fee into the park, which has a café, picnic grounds, BBQs, a playground and with a small Discovery Centre with information about Hanging Rock and the local area.
Before tackling the walk to the summit we had some coffee and cake at the café. Lying in the sun was this kangaroo, a local resident who is often hanging around. Apparently this kangaroo is 20 years old, which is old for a kangaroo, as the average lifespan is 14 years. (Fact I learned at the café). She was very docile, letting kids pet her and everything. I highly recommend the walnut and sticky date cake at the café (but not the coffee).
The walk up to the top of Hanging Rock is pretty cool. It doesn’t take long, about 20 minutes, but is pretty steep. I did have to rest a few times, but would have been fine if not 7 months pregnant! There are lots of very unusual rock formations at the summit which you could easily get lost wandering around in.
Once we got back down to the bottom we checked out the Discovery Centre before heading to the nearby town of Woodend for some lunch. On recommendation from our neighbour we checked out the Holgate Brewhouse, an independent, family-owned brewery. We trialled a variety of their beers with a tasting paddle, and luckily we all have different “favourite” beers, my dad likes a porter, Andy prefers a lager, and I love a wheat or Belgian style beer. No one seems to like anything too “hoppy” so those ones got left until last!
Once we finished lunch we had time for a quick ice cream before heading back to Melbourne to pick up Ella. All in all it was a really nice day spent with my parents, and upon doing research there is plenty to see in the Macedon Ranges region. As it is so close to Melbourne, I can see it being an ideal day trip or weekend away once the new baby comes along.
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