Red Cliffs, Victoria
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| Red Cliffs Victoria |
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 Big Lizzie on display at Red Cliffs |
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| Population: | 4596 (2006)[1] |
| Postcode: | 3496 |
| Location: | |
| LGA: | Rural City of Mildura |
| Region: | Sunraysia |
| State District: | Mildura |
| Federal Division: | Mallee |
Red Cliffs is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Calder Highway, 16 km south of Mildura and 544 km north-west of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Red Cliffs had a population of 4596. The main industry is the growing of citrus fruits and grapes. Red Cliffs takes its name from the 70m cliffs 4.5km east of the town.
The town has an annual folk music festival in July, a country music festival in September, and a wine and jazz festival in October.
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[edit] History
The area was first settled by Europeans in 1918. Following the First World War, 700 soldiers settled in the town, and began work on establishing the vineyards which would become the town's chief industry. More land was sold to soldiers following the Second World War.
[edit] Big Lizzie
The man who built and operated Big Lizzie was Frank Bottrill. As a young man last century he had seen camels suffering and struggling under huge loads and this inspired him to create a machine that could carry a massive weight and yet not sink in the sandy tracks that crisscrossed the bush.
He patented the Bottril, a dreadnought wheel design in 1906 and soon fitted it to machines that were the forerunners to Big Lizzie. Effectively the wheel lays its own tracks as it goes but the design, although innovative, was eventually superseded by the caterpillar track.
Big Lizzie may have built during World War I but she is remembered as the mother of all tractors. When constructed Big Lizzie was the biggest tractor ever made in Australia and possibly the world. It wasn’t very manoeuverable, with a huge turning circle and a 3km/h maximum traveling speed. The people of Red Cliffs are proud of their piece of agricultural history.
[edit] Schools
- Red Cliffs Primary School
- Red Cliffs East Primary School
- St. Joseph's Primary School
- Red Cliffs Secondary College
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Red Cliffs (State Suburb). 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
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