Year 12 Literature Excursion

Picnic at Hanging Rock Excursion

Everyone agreed that the day was just right for the viewing of Picnic at Hanging Rock. 

And so, off went the two year 12 literature classes, (mostly) dressed in swathes of white fabric to catch a showing of Peter Weir’s iconic 1975 film at ACMI. Since the start of the year, much of our class time has been spent analysing the original novel written in 1967 by Joan Lindsay that tells the haunting story of a girls college’s picnic to Hanging Rock in the Macedon Ranges. Set in the 1900s, the group of young girls make a Valentine’s Day outing to the rock, but the event ends in great tragedy as they return to the school missing three girls and a teacher. Ultimately, the book is an exploration of the power of nature, British colonial-settler values, and the development of a new Australian identity on the doorstep of federation, all set to the backdrop of the unwieldy Australian bush. The movie was an excellent adaptation, perhaps not totally faithful to the book, but that just leaves more for us to talk about in class!

The true highlight, however, was our classes’ commitment to showing up in style. Loyal to the novel’s description of a horde of girls dressed in white, so too did we dress up, which in the 37 degree heat was quite a feat. The costumes – ranging from 1900s schoolgirl, to British noble, to stablehand – attracted attention and compliments from the staff of ACMI and other schools present and added a great sense of immersion to the experience – and of course, were very fun.

Overall, the excursion was a fun way to spend a day and seeing the film on the big screen is a great privilege, being infinitely better than just sitting in a classroom and watching the grainy footage projected. Student reviews of the experience highlight the excitement of attending ACMI for the first time and spending a day out with their friends. 

– Maya and Jean