History of Redwing

History

Redwing was settled in the 1850’s. The property was named after a ship which sunk off the coast of Yorke Peninsula. The ships’ life was over, however the property of Redwing was just beginning. The original homestead was built closer to the road than the current homestead. It was mainly a tin home with a stone fireplace – the remnants of which were removed ten years ago. It is rumoured there is underground freshwater in the area where the old homestead existed, as stories tell of a stone well, built behind the original property. This freshwater theory is yet to be tested; however we are getting a bit curious! Redwing ‘Men’s Room’ (now Redwing Shearer's Quarters) was built in the 1860s. The one stone room had a fireplace, cooking area and room for beds for the workers. Very cosy! It was part of a series of stone buildings built to use as stables, shearing sheds and storage. Unfortunately all these other buildings were knocked down in the last fifty years by the former owners of Redwing. The ‘Men’s Room’ became storage sometime during the last sixty years and if you look closely at the walls there are many stories to be told – bullet holes from pigeon shooting and rainfall recordings etched into the stone. The original old door also had numerous holes in it from fox pelts that were hung there to dry. Redwing Homestead was built in the late 1800s, with four main rooms running off a large hallway, plus a large dry cellar. An underground stone water tank was built directly behind the main homestead. This water tank is so large that many years ago a Clydesdale fell in and drowned, unable to get out due to the depth. The farm was run entirely by horses and there are a number of old photos dating back to these times. Horse shoes, nails, bits, even saddles are still being found around the farm. In the 1950s two more rooms were added on to the front of the original home, and the verandah out the east side was enclosed as a lean-to storage area. The back verandah was also enclosed for use as a laundry. Old houses need plenty of maintenance and over the next fifty years the house deteriorated dramatically. The first thing the new owners did in 1998 after purchasing the property was to add a new roof to the homestead to prevent further damage. Renovations on the main homestead began in earnest in 2004. During 2009 the ‘Men's Room’, which had always been such a solid little building, lost its roof and began to deteriorate. With such a long history we didn’t want to see this building fall down, so renovations on the now Redwing Shearer's Quarters began in January 2010. In 2012, after Redwing Shearer's Quarters had been in operation for 16 months, Redwing owners began inspecting the 1950s barn on the property to see what potential it had. So many people had enquired about bringing their families out to enjoy the animals, that the barn potentially offered a family friendly accommodation solution! The barn had originally been used for storing hay and was home to a large population of pigeons. But with its rustic beams and original timber flooring, we were sure we could make it into something special! So with a lot of time and effort, Redwing Barn opened for business on Easter, 2013. ​In 2018, the run down (and just about falling apart!) 1950's caravan, Little Patty, arrived at Redwing. After much love, she is now fully refurbished and joined the accommodation offerings in 2019!