Hanging Rock (Blue Mountains)

Hanging Rock is a huge sandstone rock in the Blue Mountains that is over 150 metres high and 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.

I have always been intrigued by this place but it is not often mentioned as a place "to go to" when visiting the Blue Mountains. I researched it and discovered that this is because it is a little bit off the beaten track. You have to drive your car down a very narrow (and in my case, puddle filled) gravel road and then hike 4 kilometres down a fire track, followed by a somewhat precarious climb down a steep slope to get to the viewpoint.

But, my word, it's beautiful and well worth the effort. And the fact that you usually have the place to yourself makes it all the more special.

In the two photos below, you can clearly see how the hanging rock has become detached.  Combine that with the beautiful colour of the rock and the fact that it soars so high above the valley and you can see why it has been used in calendars and as the setting to movies.

On the day I visited Hanging Rock, I was alone for the first two hours.  I took some photos and then let my mind wander.  It's an amazing place to relax and get perspective, which was one of the reasons for my trip.

Suddenly three other guys arrived, scrambling down the cliff as they came.  I said hello and jokingly asked them if they could go and stand at the edge of the Hanging Rock to help give my photos a sense of scale.  Imagine my enormous surprise (and horror and delight) when they proceeded to do just that - totally unperturbed by the fact they were perched on a walkway less than 1 metre wide, and over 150 metres high. 

When the guys returned from the knife edge and I had changed my underwear (well figuratively speaking), I told them I was joking and hadn't thought in my wildest dreams that they would actually do it.  And that I wouldn't do it for ten millions dollars.  They laughed and told me that they were base jumpers and were scoping the scene as a potential place for a jump.  The one guy admitted that it had been a little hairy standing on the rock without a chute but the others just laughed some more and told him he was a wimp.  

I so liked the Hanging Rock that I decided to overnight there (thankfully, I had brought my pack and little tent and some food) and I was rewarded when the late afternoon sun lit up the rock face in a nice orange glow.

The following morning, at dawn, as the sun rose, the Hanging Rock lit up bright red.  It was a beautiful thing to see and I wasn't sure if I should take photos or just purely bathe in the sight of it.  I did a bit of both.

Below, you can see just how narrow the ledge is.  Those base jumpers sure have balls of steel!  I don't think that even my best friend, Russell, who has done some crazy things when it comes to heights, would have the nerve.  Or maybe...

Another view of Hanging Rock from a different angle.

At sunset, the soft light made the trees look beautiful.

And the actual sunset wasn't too shabby either...

The sunrise from the cliffs was beautiful too and created some eerie shapes of faces.  Or am I the only one who sees it?

So all in all, I absolutely loved Hanging Rock.  It's a place I'm likely to visit again and again.  Hopefully it will remain well and truly off the beaten track for a long time to come.