Picnic at Hanging Rock: Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

It is February 14, 1900—a “shimmering summer morning” in Australia. As the boarders at Mrs. Appleyard’s College for Young Ladies scurry about the school in a “madly romantic” mood exchanging Valentine’s Day letters and gifts, there is a distinctive air of giddiness about the place. Though the only two men at the college are Mr. Whitehead, an elderly English gardener, and Tom, an Irish groom and stable hand, the girls pretend that their letters are from “lovesick admirers.”

The only person who does not receive a valentine is the head of the college. Mrs. Appleyard disapproves of Saint Valentine and dislikes the way the girls’ gifts and greetings clutter up the two-story mansion where Appleyard College is housed. Mrs. Appleyard purchased the manse less than six years ago yet has already transformed the place into an expensive and well-regarded college. Mrs. Appleyard—a greying widow obsessed with discipline and control—has no experience as an educator, but she gives off the distinct air of a traditional English headmistress, which has impressed parents in the school’s surrounding area. “Looking the part,” Mrs. Appleyard knows, is “more than half the battle.”

All the girls fuss over their valentines, from the beautiful, wealthy Miranda to the “plain,” froglike Edith to the haughty heiress Irma Leopold. The girls gossip about how one of the governesses, Miss Lumley, has received a card from her brother Reg, while their math teacher, Miss McCraw, has received a plain valentine covered in math equations from the groom Tom, who was encouraged to send it “for a lark” by his girlfriend, the housemaid Minnie. As the girls get ready for their outing, they’re all looking forward to their picnic and being out in nature. Mademoiselle Dianne de Poitiers, the young, beautiful French teacher, is just as excited about the holiday as her pupils. She hurries the girls to get ready to leave for the picnic as she passes through the halls.

As the girls head out onto the verandah, Mrs. Appleyard greets them. She instructs the girls as to how they should behave on the outing, forbidding them from removing their gloves in spite of the heat until the carriage has passed through town. She reminds them to stay close together at the picnic and keep off of Hanging Rock—she tells them it is “extremely dangerous” and populated by venomous snakes. With those warnings, Mrs. Appleyard bids the girls goodbye and tells them she’ll see them at eight o’clock for supper. Mr. Hussey, the driver, pulls up to the front steps in a drag (covered wagon) pulled by five beautiful bay horses. The three senior girls—Miranda, Irma, and Marion—sit in the box up front. The rest of the girls pile into the back with Miss McCraw and Mademoiselle. 

As the day grows hotter and the road grows bumpier. The girls beg to take their gloves off, and Miss McCraw tells them they can—but when they ask to remove their hats, she forbids it. After stopping briefly for some refreshing lemonade, the group sets off again. Miss McCraw is worried they’re not making good enough time, even though Mr. Hussey assures her they’re on schedule. Miss McCraw suggests that, to save time on the way back, Mr. Hussey look at their route this morning as two sides of an isosceles triangle—rather than follow the tracks back, she suggests, he should head straight down the invisible triangle’s third side. Mr. Hussey disregards the math teacher’s complex suggestion.

Soon enough, the group catches sight of the huge, imposing Hanging Rock. The excited Mr. Hussey begins giving the girls a miniature history lesson about the rock’s formation and million-year existence. As the drag pulls up to the wooden gate entry to the Picnic Grounds, Miranda excitedly hops down from her seat and opens it so that the drag can pass through.