Sandra Forbes, junior editor at F. W. Cheshire Publishing Company suggested Joan Lindsay remove the final chapter of her Picnic at Hanging Rock manuscript prior to publication. This 18th chapter revealed what happened to the missing ladies and was published after Lindsay's death as a book of its own titled, The Secret of Hanging Rock.
Natalie Dormer has said that her character, Hester Appleyard, stayed with her for a long time after the series had finished filming.
For major street scenes in a few of the series' episodes, several tons of dirt were brought to the town of Clunes, used to cover the road and create a vista from 1900, complete with horses and carriages. Local residents became extras.
Hanging Rock exists on the borders of three different indigenous groups in the region: the Wurundjeri, Taungurung, and Dja Dja Wurrung.
Peter Weir has said of Joan Lindsay's novel, "Reading the book for the first time ... it was irresistible reading. It was the tremendous unease ... I couldn't wait to get to the rock to see if it was as good as it read."