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, Red Cliffs had a population of 5,060. 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 1920/1921, and will be having a centenary celebration over the Melbourne Cup weekend in 2021. 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. More land was sold to soldiers following the Second World War. The Red Cliffs Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1990.
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.
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 Dreadnaught 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 The design was effective but was later outdated by the caterpillar track.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. The tractor received an Engineering Heritage Marker from Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.
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.
