Picnic at Hanging Rock has become so much a part of Australian lore that few people realise it was a book before it was a movie. Claiming the book was based on a dream, the author has summarily refused to confirm or deny that the events within were based on true events.

So hang on to your headphones, because Holly and Matthew are on the case!


Main Theme music – Kevin MacLeod
"Slow Ticking Clock" – Kevin MacLeod
Used under a Creative Commons license.

Sources cited:
The Argus. 1901. “A Carpenter's Death.” 3 January: 6. Accessed June 4, 2021. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10527990.

Kennerk, Barry. 2018. “Hanging Rock: real-life mysteries are as fascinating as novel and TV.” The Irish Times, 31 July. Accessed June 4, 2021. https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/hanging-rock-real-life-mysteries-are-as-fascinating-as-novel-and-tv-1.3577022.

Stephens, Andrew. 2007. “Hanging out for a mystery.” The Age, 21 January. Accessed June 4, 2021. https://www.theage.com.au/technology/hanging-out-for-a-mystery-20070121-ge40sp.html.

Lindsay, Joan, interview by John Taylor. 1975. Interview with Joan Lindsay

McCulloch, Janelle. 2017. “The extraordinary story behind Picnic at Hanging Rock.” The Sydney Morning Herald, 30 March. Accessed June 5, 2021. https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/the-extraordinary-story-behind-picnic-at-hanging-rock-20170328-gv7upc.html.

Mitchell, Molli. 2018. “Is Picnic at Hanging Rock a true story?” Express, 18 July. Accessed June 5, 2021. https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/990665/picnic-at-hanging-rock-2018-series-bbc-two-amazon-true-story-natalie-dormer-joan-lindsay.

Vasudevan, Varsha. 2020. Fascinating and eerie: The real-life mystery behind the story of 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'. 15 January. Accessed June 5, 2021. https://meaww.com/fascinating-and-eerie-what-happened-at-the-picnic-at-hanging-rock-real-of-fiction-natalie-dormer.

Romensky, Larissa, Fiona Parker, and Jo Printz. 2017. “No picnic at Hanging Rock: Campaign to recognise Aboriginal past rather than 'white myth'.” ABC News, 17 January. Accessed June 5, 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-17/campaign-to-recognise-indigenous-history-hanging-rock/8187942.