Big Lizzie
| Big Lizzie | ||
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| Big Lizzie on display at Barclay Square, Red Cliffs | ||
| Manufacturer | Frank Bottrill and A. H. McDonald & Co. | |
| Production | 1915–1916 | |
| Designer | Frank Bottrill | |
| Weight | 45 tonnes | |
| Length | 10.36 m | |
| Engine | 60 hp Blackstone single-cylinder oil engine | |
| Top speed | 1.6 km/h | |
Big Lizzie is a one-of-a-kind road train tractor built in 1916 in Melbourne, Victoria. It was designed by inventor Frank Bottrill to operate with his patented "dreadnaught wheels", which were created to prevent heavy vehicles from sinking into sandy terrain. Intended to haul freight across inland Australia, the tractor instead became famous for its role in large-scale land clearing in north-western Victoria.
History
Frank Bottrill was born in South Australia in 1871 and trained as a blacksmith before working on steam engines at Broken Hill. Concerned about the heavy use of camels to transport wool, he experimented with traction engines for desert travel. In 1906 he patented the "dreadnaught wheel", a steel rim fitted with bearers that rotated under the wheel to spread the load on soft ground.
In 1915 Bottrill, with financial support from grazier Ralph Falkiner, began construction of a massive tractor in collaboration with A. H. McDonald & Co. of Richmond, Melbourne. The machine, later named Big Lizzie after a large British gun of the First World War, was completed in 1916. It measured more than ten metres long and weighed about 45 tonnes.
Intended journey
Bottrill intended to drive Big Lizzie with two trailers from Melbourne to Broken Hill, a journey expected to take close to nine months. The trek began in late 1916 but progress was slow, hampered by bridge collapses, police suspicion during wartime, and repeated flooding of rivers. In October 1917 the tractor reached Mildura, where a flooded Murray River forced the project to end. Big Lizzie never reached Broken Hill.
Work in Victoria
Unable to continue the journey, Bottrill put the tractor to work in the Sunraysia region. Big Lizzie hauled heavy wheat loads, including one of about 80 tonnes, believed to be a record at the time. It later proved most effective at land clearing, using steel cables and outriggers to uproot large trees and scrub. From 1920 the machine was employed in clearing land at Red Cliffs for soldier settlement irrigation blocks after the First World War. This was one of the largest clearing projects in Victoria.
In 1926 Big Lizzie was moved south to Glendinning Station near Balmoral for further clearing. Financial troubles meant the machine was abandoned by 1928. Its engine was removed in 1938 and it remained derelict until the 1970s.
Preservation
In 1971 Big Lizzie was rescued from being sold as scrap and transported to Red Cliffs as part of the town’s 50th Jubilee celebrations. It was restored and placed on permanent display at Barclay Square in 1972. In March 2001 it was added to the Victorian Heritage Register. Today the tractor is maintained by the local historical society and volunteer groups, and forms part of the Chaffey Trail of heritage sites around Mildura.
Specifications
• Engine: Blackstone single-cylinder crude oil engine, 60 hp at 275 rpm
• Length: 10.36 m
• Width: 3.35 m
• Height: 5.49 m
• Weight: 45 tonnes
• Payload: up to 80 tonnes with trailers
• Speed: maximum 1 mile per hour (1.6 km/h)
Significance
Big Lizzie is recognised as an important relic of Australian engineering and agricultural history. It demonstrates the inventive application of Bottrill’s dreadnaught wheel technology, which was briefly used in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland before caterpillar tracks became dominant. Its role in clearing land for irrigation and soldier settlement in the Mallee links it to major phases of development in rural Victoria.[1]
