Picnic at Hanging Rock

Elna, Gavin, Srini, Zante and I had an absolutely wonderful day at Hanging Rock in the Blue Mountains.  I visited this spectacular place in 2011 and it left a strong mark on me.  It was very special to be able to share it with good friends.   

At the start of the fire-trail.

After a 4.5 km hike along a mostly flat fire-trail (found at the end of Ridgewell Road), we emerged at Baltzer Lookout with it's spectacular views down the Grose Valley.

Zante admiring the view.

From the lookout, we did a steep climb down the side of the path to this beautiful red sandstone cliff.

Srini and Elna taking it all in.

Srini and Gavin with umbrella prop in tow.

From the side of the cliff, we got our first good vantage point of Hanging Rock itself.   Hanging Rock is a huge sandstone rock, over 150 metres high, that has become detached from the main cliff.  It has featured in many calendars and climbing photos, and was also the site of the main climbing scene in “The Edge”, a movie starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin.

As you can see, the rock towers 150 metres above the valley with the most spectacular drop off.  It is a gorgeous re colour when lit by the sun.

This photo gives a better view of the sandstone cliff to which the rock is semi-attached.

The Grose Valley provides the perfect back drop to this amazing rock feature.

As we walked closer, we had sublime views of the Grose Valley between The Hanging Rock and the other dominant cliff. 

Gavin and Srini leapt across the chasm left where the The Hanging Rock has become semi-detached from the cliff face. It's not a big jump (maybe a metre) but the immense drop makes it seem pretty scary.  They then walked up onto the top of the rock.

Here they are, full of adrenaline for what lies ahead.

The umbrella being put to good use!  Guess it wouldn't act as much of a parachute if one were to fall!

The top of The Hanging Rock culminates in this narrow ledge with 150 metre drop offs on either side.

Here is Srini walking out onto the ledge.  Just photographing it made me feel a little green!  Srini is amazing, though - he seems unperturbed by heights.  Or if he is, he hides it well. 

Here is Srini, walking out onto the edge.  As usual, he knows how to set up a spectacular photo!

The enormous drop off is unfathomable.  Srini says his secret is to simply not look down.

Gavin joins Srini out on the ledge.  Now that's what I call true bonding!

Not to be outdone by Srini, Gavin does his morning push up exercises 150 metres above the valley floor!

Ha ha!  Gavin  sure knows how to set up a pose!

Shortly afterwards, two young women arrived. The one girl was totally fearless and waltzed onto the ledge without hesitation.  She had done it before and it showed.

Gavin embracing the fact he is alive after his dice with death. 

Elna looking out into the valley.  It's an amazing place for contemplation.

Gavin doing the one and only leap of the day

After the excitement of the ledge walk, we chilled out and had some food.

It was Zante's birthday the next day, so we surprised her with a cake and candles which Srini had painstakingly hidden and carried.

She was delighted and very touched.  It was wonderful to see her reaction.

Srini, champion that he is, had also brought some beers.  He knows how to hike in style!

Lovely Elna.  Like me, she's a budding photographer with her SLR in tow.  Plus handy i-phone which also takes great photos.  The light conditions were not easy with the rock in shade for a lot of the time we were there.

On the way back up to Beltzer Lookout, we met this lovely doggie and stopped for a cuddle.

Someone built this impressive entrance way to Beltzer Lookout.  Pretty impressive.

Srini makes the most of his photographic prop.

After our hike, we stopped off at Wentworth Lake for a lovely swim. All in all, it was an absolutely fabulous day full of excitement, bonding and camaraderie.


More memories of the day (thanks Elna for these)

• Gavin surprising us with a gift for everyone of a mobile phone battery pack each.  
• Gavin entertaining us with hilarious youtube videos - "Ain't nobody got time for that!" and "Bed invasion" (songs made from newsreel clips of colourful African Americans) and "Doovde" (prank call guy calling electronics store asking price of JVC DVD player and LCD TV and mispronouncing the acronyms)
• Trip down memory lane, listening to Mango Groove and the Click Song in the car.
• Elna doing a 5 minute plank!

Great video of the day by Srini