<P> At Hanging Rock we've become obsessed with the myth almost to the point where we sort of tell it as though it is a true story, but we completely ignore the true losses that have happened there . Most of the Aboriginal people living in that area died of smallpox or were murdered by colonists or removed to Coranderrk (Aboriginal Reserve in Healesville) in 1836...It's just fascinating to me that we keep choosing to be haunted by a (fictitious) story rather than the real losses that have occurred in that place . </P> <P> Spiers cited the common practice among tourists to scream "Miranda!" from atop the rock as an example of the site's strong cultural associations with the novel and its film adaptation; she also noted that the visitors' centre caters significantly to the myth of the "missing schoolgirls," with dioramas, videos, panels and soundtracks from both the novel and the film, while the real history of the monolith and its significance to the indigenous culture was less acknowledged . Supporters of the campaign held a protest on St. Valentine's Day 2017 at the rock . </P> <P> In response to the campaign, Luke Spielvogel, the president of Friends of Hanging Rock, noted that the novel and particularly, the character of Miranda, captured the "ethereal, mysterious nature of the rock"; he also suggested the novel and character should remain part of the "broader tapestry" of the site: </P> <P> For 40,000 years Hanging Rock has brought people together, and Miranda and the film and the book are all part of that story . But a significant part of that story was to understand the Indigenous history and further investigate the Indigenous name...We focus on one aspect of popular culture around Hanging Rock, and I think what Amy is trying to do is tell a broader story, and we certainly support that . </P>

What happens in the final chapter of picnic at hanging rock