Debunked: Picnic at Hanging Rock

[Mick West]

While I never believed the supernatural connotations of the Picnic at Hanging Rock story (the film of which quite scared me as a young boy), I had always assumed it was based on a true story. It turns out the entire thing was invented for the 1967 novel, and the story simply took on a life of its own:

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4308

Lindsay did her own part to start the rumors that the book was based on fact. In the book's introduction, she wrote the following:

Whether Picnic at Hanging Rock is fact or fiction, my readers must decide for themselves. As the fateful picnic took place in the year 1900, and all the characters who appear in this book are long since dead, it hardly seems important.
​

Near the end of the book she also referenced a newspaper article from 1914 about the disappearances. Said article never existed outside of the author's imagination, but few people fact check something like that.

Content from External Source

 

[derwoodii]

It is an eerie place but yes it was just a story.
The Rolling stones find the place has bad ju ju as 2 gigs have been cancelled here past year due to Micks ex wife dying and then Mick got a cold

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/r...tion-as-gig-is-cancelled-20141107-11isze.html

nearby is illusion road gravity hill now that's got some debunking to be done

Gravity Hill, Hanging Rocks, Mount Macedon

 

[derwoodii]

just to add before thread is sent to the rambles Joan Lindsay writer of picnic at hanging rock lived not far in my shire. the home is now a preserved time capsule nothing as been moved or changed within the house, plates on the tables towels in the bath room have been in place since 1985

http://www.nationaltrust.org.au/vic/mulberry-hill

http://www.nationaltrust.org.au/vic/mulberry-hill-collections

 

[TWCobra]

Not sure if this is OT. In 1979 when I was doing my Air Force pilots course near Melbourne, a group of us visited Hanging Rock on a weekend. On our course was the son of Patricia Lovell, who was the producer of the film, "Picnic at Hanging Rock".

When the time came to go home after climbing all over the Rock for a few hours, for about 10 minutes we couldn't find him. We thought we had it made and when he finally turned up we told him to go back to the rock and disappear again because he was spoiling a great story.

Sadly he refused and we had to work for a living. Oh well....

 

[David Coulter]

Apparently it's actually fairies that make cars roll uphill.

Yep, those dang fairies are always causing mischief in Ireland. Even as a rational scientist I have to leave something in a fairy tree if I run across one - as an honorarium to my Celtic roots if nothing else.