Big Lizzie is now 100 years old and we remember the important part she played in the clearing of the land for the establishment of Red Cliffs.
In early 1915 Frank Bottrill commenced construction of Big Lizzie to replace the camel trains which carried wool and other heavy loads in the sandy terrain. Fabrication and assembly of the huge prime mover and two trailers was carried out by Bottrill over a period of 12 months, with casting and machining done by A.H. McDonald Co. of Richmond. Financing was provided by Ralph Falkiner.
Early in 1916 Big Lizzie left Richmond expecting to be in Broken Hill by early 1917. The route chosen was via Kilmore, Heathcote, Elmore and Echuca, where it was proposed to cross the Murray River. Navigating through the city on hard surface roads was the first problem they faced. All damaged roads & infrastructure were to be repaired. Later the prime mover broke through a bridge near Kilmore causing a dent in the drinking water tank which is still evident to this day. When Lizzie reached the flooded Campaspe River a suitable crossing site was needed. It took 3 weeks of de-snagging and earthworks below the weir near Elmore before Big Lizzie could cross the river.
Bottrill was unable to cross the Murray at Echuca because of floods, and the lack of permission to cross the approach bridge to the town, so he headed for Swan Hill. He arrived at Kerang in January 1917 and spent 5 months there carrying out modifications and repairs, and it was August that year before he reached Ouyen. In October 1917 Big Lizzie arrived in Mildura to find the Murray River in flood, so without a bridge to cross the river, completing his journey was out of the question for several months at least. Bottrill sought work in the area, as his funds would have been exhausted.
In 1921 Big Lizzie commenced clearing scrub for the proposed 6,000 ha irrigation area of Red Cliffs. This was to provide 700 Soldier Settlement blocks for veterans of World War 1. A gang of up to 16 men was employed to handle the four heavy cables which were attached with loops and hooks to as large a number of trees or stumps as possible. Repairs to damaged cables etc was carried out on the front platform of Big Lizzie, which was equipped with blacksmith’s forge, anvil and toolbox.
Clearing work at Red Cliffs was completed in 1924 and Big Lizzie was driven to Western Victoria to find more work clearing land. But this venture was not a success and Frank Bottrill and his wife abandoned Big Lizzie on Glendenning Station. In 1938 the Blackstone engine was sold and moved to Pyramid Hill where it was used to drive stone crushing equipment until 1942. It was finally broken up for scrap in 1945.
In 1971 (the year of Red Cliffs Golden Jubilee) a committee was formed to negotiate the purchase and return of Big Lizzie to Red Cliffs. Big Lizzie and one trailer now hold pride of place in Barclay Square Red Cliffs. The second trailer has been returned to the district and is undergoing restoration. The shelter over Big Lizzie was erected in 1988 by Mildura Shire Council as a Bicentennial project.
- Prime Mover – 10.36 metres long, 3.35m wide, 5.49m high
- Weight – 45 tonnes payload 10 tonnes
- Turning Circle – 61 metres
- Trailers(2) – 9m long, 3m wide, 2.13m high
- Payload – 35 tonnes each
- Power Unit 44.74 kw (60 hp) Blackstone water cooled single cylinder crude oil engine.
- Bore, 228 mm, Stroke, 450 mm, 215 RPM.
- Single flywheel, 2.13 m diameter, Weight 3 tonnes.
- Gear Box 3.15m long, 1.37m deep, 0.91m wide.
- Oil Capacity 430 Litres.
- 4 forward speeds 3.2, 2.4, 1.6, 0.8 km/h.
- 2 reverse speeds 0.8, and 0.4 km/h.
- Crude Oil 19,800 litres.
- General purpose water 3,400 litres
- Drinking water 1,000 litres
More information can be found in Ron Maslin’s book “Big Lizzie – The Story of a Man and a Machine”