The Red Cliffs area was established as a Soldier Settlement following World War I. It will celebrate the centenary in 2021. Over 700 returned servicemen and women developed the area as an irrigation settlement planted mostly to vines but also a range of citrus and other fruits. The arrival of Big Lizzie greatly assisted the work as she could pull up to 8 Mallee stumps at a time. The main features however were the ‘dreadnaught’ wheels – They basically put down a track as it went along. Big Lizzie was built by Frank Bottrill in Richmond. It arrived in Mildura in 1917, and began carting wool and wheat but was later employed clearing Mallee scrub for the new soldier settlement. In 1971, a group of Red Cliffs citizens found Big Lizzie rusting away in the Western District of Victoria. They arranged transport and located her in Barclay Square where she is now an attraction.
1917
