Red Cliffs, Victoria
Encyclopedia
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.
More land was sold to soldiers following the Second World War.
.
.
Golfers play at the course of the Red Cliffs Golf Club on 22nd Street.
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.
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 The design was effective but was later outdated by the caterpillar track.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.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the Sunraysia
Sunraysia
Sunraysia is an area of northwestern Victoria and southwestern New South Wales in Australia, known for its sunshine, grapes and oranges. Its main centre is Mildura....
region. It is located on the Calder Highway
Calder Freeway
Calder Freeway is a freeway linking Melbourne to Ravenswood South in Victoria, Australia, superseding stretches of the Calder Highway. Originally just a short spur of the Tullamarine Freeway linking to the Calder Highway in Keilor in suburban Melbourne, it has been extended in phases to Ravenswood...
, 16 km south of Mildura
Mildura, Victoria
Mildura is a regional city in northwestern Victoria, Australia and seat of the Rural City of Mildura local government area. It is located in the Sunraysia region, and is on the banks of the Murray River. The current population is estimated at just over 30,000.Mildura is a major agricultural centre...
and 544 km north-west of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, 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, 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 August 4, 1920.More land was sold to soldiers following the Second World War.
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 CollegeRed Cliffs Secondary College
Red Cliffs Secondary College is a state-run co-educational high school located in Red Cliffs, Victoria, Australia. The college is the only Victorian state government run school in Sunraysia that offers a continuous education from year 7 through to year 12. There are currently 650 approx...
.
Sport
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Sunraysia Football LeagueSunraysia Football League
The Sunraysia Football League is an Australian Rules league based in Northwestern Victoria with clubs located in the vicinity of Mildura and Wentworth, New South Wales...
.
Golfers play at the course of the Red Cliffs Golf Club on 22nd Street.
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
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. It is organised by the Red Cliffs Rotary Club.See also
- 1956 Murray River flood1956 Murray River floodThe 1956 Murray River flood involved the rising of waters in the Murray River and flooding of many towns in three states of Australia, including the towns of Colignan, Iraak, Mannum, Murray Bridge, Mildura, Nangiloc, Red Cliffs, Renmark, Wentworth and many others.The flood occurred due to higher...
- Red Cliffs railway stationRed Cliffs railway station, VictoriaRed Cliffs is a closed railway station in the town Red Cliffs on the Mildura railway line in Victoria, Australia. Red Cliffs station was established as a passenger station in 1920, a loop siding also being provided at this time. In 1922 a railmotor service commenced between Mildura station and Red...
External links
- Big Lizzie trailer with a load of two steam engines, State Library of Victoria