Redesdale, Victoria

History

There are conflicting accounts about the origin of Redesdale's name. According to Thomas O'Callaghan's 1918 book Names of Victorian Railways Stations, Redesdale is named after Lord Redesdale. However, according to the website Victorian Places, Redesdale is named after Robert William Rede. The Redesdale post office was opened on 22 March 1865.

Redesdale bridge

Main article: Redesdale Bridge

Redesdale is on the opposite bank of the Campaspe River to the town of Mia Mia. The towns are connected by the heritage listed Redesdale bridge, one of the oldest iron lattice-truss bridges in Victoria. The trusses were originally imported in 1859 for a bridge crossing the Yarra River in suburban Hawthorn. The ship bringing the trusses to Melbourne, the Herald of the Morning, caught fire and was towed to the shore in Hobsons Bay, becoming a total wreck. As a result, the building of Hawthorn Bridge, connecting Richmond and Hawthorn, was delayed for a couple of years while new trusses shipped out to Australia.

The original trusses were salvaged from the wreck of Herald of the Morning, but had been damaged by the fire. Almost a decade later, they were used for the Redesdale-Mia Mia Bridge. It was constructed on site in 1868 with a divided-lane through-truss design, created specifically for the difficult river crossing and unique in Victoria.

Railway

Redesdale was once the terminus of a branch line railway which connected with the Melbourne – Murray River Railway at Redesdale Junction, between Kyneton and Malmsbury. Other stations along the branch were Edgecombe, Green Hill, East Metcalfe, Emberton and Barfold. The Redesdale line was opened on 15 January 1891 and closed on 29 June 1954. The tracks and stations have since been removed.

Other

Redesdale has a primary school, a petrol station/general store, a hall, an historic bluestone pub/tavern and a recreation reserve.

Australia's worst aircraft disaster, the 1945 Australian National Airways Stinson crash, in which 10 people were killed, occurred 2 mi east of town.

Climate

| Jan record high C = 46.1 | Feb record high C = 45.0 | Mar record high C = 38.7 | Apr record high C = 33.7 | May record high C = 25.9 | Jun record high C = 20.1 | Jul record high C = 18.5 | Aug record high C = 21.1 | Sep record high C = 29.1 | Oct record high C = 35.0 | Nov record high C = 41.1 | Dec record high C = 44.5 | year record high C = 46.1 | Jan record low C = 1.7 | Feb record low C = 2.6 | Mar record low C = 1.4 | Apr record low C = -1.1 | May record low C = -2.2 | Jun record low C = -3.8 | Jul record low C = -5.6 | Aug record low C = -4.4 | Sep record low C = -4.2 | Oct record low C = -3.3 | Nov record low C = -3.0 | Dec record low C = -0.2 | year record low C = -5.6 | Jan dew point C = 9.1 | Feb dew point C = 9.9 | Mar dew point C = 8.6 | Apr dew point C = 6.9 | May dew point C = 6.3 | Jun dew point C = 5.3 | Jul dew point C = 4.7 | Aug dew point C = 4.5 | Sep dew point C = 5.2 | Oct dew point C = 6.0 | Nov dew point C = 7.5 | Dec dew point C = 7.6 | year dew point C = 6.8 |access-date = 28 February 2025}}

References

References

1. {{Census 2021 AUS
2. O'Callaghan, Thomas. (1918). "Names of Victorian railway stations". H.J. Green, Acting Government Printer.
3. "Redesdale {{!}} Victorian Places".
4. Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List".
5. {{cite VHD. 968. Redesdale Bridge
6. (April 2018). "Mia Mia Bridge". Heritage Council of Victoria.
7. Rowe, Bill. (1989). "Redesdale: Yesterday and Today". self published.
8. "1900".