Red Cliffs, Victoria
| Red Cliffs Victoria | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Post office | |||||||||||||
  Red Cliffs | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°18′27″S 142°11′17″E / 34.30750°S 142.18806°ECoordinates: 34°18′27″S 142°11′17″E / 34.30750°S 142.18806°E | ||||||||||||
| Population | 4,596 (2006)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3496 | ||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Rural City of Mildura | ||||||||||||
| Region | Sunraysia | ||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Mildura | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Mallee | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Red Cliffs is a town in Victoria, Australia in the Sunraysia region. 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 70 m cliffs 4.5 km east of the town that have an apparent red/orange colour.
History
The area was first settled by Europeans in 1918. Following the First World War, over 700 soldiers settled in the town, and began work on establishing the vineyards which would become the town's chief industry. The Post Office opened on 4 August 1920.[3] More land was sold to soldiers following the Second World War.
Culture
Schools
Red Cliffs has three primary schools, Red Cliffs Primary School, Red Cliffs East Primary School and St. Joseph's Primary School and one secondary school, Red Cliffs Secondary College.
Sport
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Sunraysia Football League.[4]
Golfers play at the course of the Red Cliffs Golf Club on 22nd Street.[5]
The town also has its own cricket association, the RCCA. The association has 3 grades and includes teams from the Sunraysia/Millewa and Ouyen areas.
Big Lizzie
Red Cliffs features a permanent public exhibit called Big Lizzie, a large tractor. Frank Bottrill was the designer, builder and operator of "Big Lizzie". One of its features was the use of the Bottrill dreadnought wheel which he designed, and which he also fitted to other machines. Botrill was inspired by his experiences in the 1800s witnessing the suffering of camels carrying heavy loads. The wheel was designed to work in sandy soils. The design was effective but was later outdated by the caterpillar track. When it was built "Big Lizzie" was the biggest tractor in Australia and thought to be the biggest in the world, at 34 feet high by 18 feet wide, and weighing 45 tons. It had two trailers also fitted with Bottrill wheels. [6][7][8]
Lunar Festival
The Red Cliffs Lunar Festival is held every March to celebrate the end of the grape harvest. The event includes a street parade, musical performances, street market, bicycle race and an evening outdoor film screening.[9] It is organised by the Red Cliffs Rotary Club.
See also
References
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Red Cliffs (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
- ↑ Travelmate
- ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ↑ Full Points Footy. "Sunraysia Football League". FullPointsFooty.net. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
- ↑ Golf Select. "Red Cliffs". GolfSelect.com.au. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
- ↑ Henschke, Ian (3 September 2000). "Legendary tractor lives large in local folklore". Landline. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
- ↑ "Big Lizzie". George Negus Tonight. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 June 2003. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
- ↑ "Big Lizzie". 4WDonline.com. 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
- ↑ Mildura Rural City Council. "Events 2011". Retrieved 3 October 2010.
External links
Media related to Red Cliffs, Victoria at Wikimedia Commons
- Big Lizzie trailer with a load of two steam engines, State Library of Victoria