Red Cliffs: Cliffs, History and Local Discoveries

Red Cliffs combines a striking landscape with a tangible settlement and military history. The red to orange cliffs for which the town is named are up to 70 metres high. At the same time, museums, a mural and a historic locomotive tell different chapters of the town’s history. When planning your trip, you might consider whether you’d like to focus mainly on views, local history, a market visit or regional produce.

Between Cliffs and Wetlands

Red Cliffs Lookout in the Red Cliffs Scenic Reserve is a roadside lookout. The boardwalk there offers a different perspective: from it, you can see the wetlands and the distinctive Red Cliffs. The cliffs themselves are a defining natural feature of the town and are considered worth seeing. Together, a roadside lookout and a boardwalk with views of wetlands and rock formations offer different landscape experiences.

Quandong Park offers a different kind of visit. It has a playground, a skate park and public toilets for residents and visitors. These practical facilities complement the landscape views at the Scenic Reserve. If you’re including different interests in your trip plans, you can think of these as two distinct reasons to visit: the park’s facilities on one hand, and views of wetlands and cliffs on the other.

Settlement History and Places of Remembrance

Red Cliffs became Australia’s largest irrigated soldier settlement. In 1920, returning soldiers began clearing the Mallee scrub there; 33,000 acres of land were allocated for the settlement. Big Lizzie also played an important role in clearing the land on which Red Cliffs was established. These details make the town’s origins a focus in their own right, alongside the landscape.

Established in 1997, the Red Cliffs Military Museum displays an extensive collection of artefacts and memorabilia. It spans the Boer War through to the wars in Vietnam and East Timor, and represents all branches of the armed forces. The collection thus covers a broad sweep of history. The Red Cliffs Courthouse Museum has a different focus: it features exhibitions on the early history of Red Cliffs and is operated by the Red Cliffs Historical Society.

Local history is also collected at the Court House. In 1994, the Red Cliffs & District Historical Society received approval to use the building permanently as its headquarters. It houses a collection of historic objects, photographs, newspaper articles, books, maps and memorabilia. This offers a distinct way to explore a local history reflected not only in exhibitions, but also in collected documents and objects.

The Red Cliffs Water Tower Mural depicts the town’s history. Students from Red Cliffs Secondary College created the mural in 1991 under the direction of Broken Hill artist Clark Barrett. Another trace of the area’s technological history is “Lukee”, a steam locomotive belonging to the Red Cliffs Historical Steam Railway, built in 1901. The mural, the collection and the locomotive each tell history in a different way.

Market and Regional Produce

The Red Cliffs Country Market is held on the first Sunday of every month, from 9 am to 1 pm, in Ilex Street, along Indi Avenue and at Barclay Square. If a market visit is part of your plans, check the date and time again before you travel. This lets you take the regular monthly event into account when planning your days.

Mildura Farms in Red Cliffs stocks local nuts, dried fruit, honey and juices. Products are available in single-serve or bulk packs. This is a different local focus from the collections and historic places of remembrance: here, regional produce takes centre stage. As business details can change, check them before planning a visit.

Consider whether the landscape, settlement history, military history or regional produce will shape your stay most, and plan your days accordingly. If you’re looking for hotels in Red Cliffs, this can help you tailor your search dates to your own travel plans.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Rupanyup, Cape Schanck, Thomastown, Clayton South, Korong Vale, Rosewhite, Ruffy.

Go to the main travel overview: Victoria.