Redwing was settled in the 1850s. The property was named after a ship that had 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 one. It was mainly a tin home with a stone fire-place - the remnants of which were removed many years ago.
It is rumoured there is underground water in the area where the old homestead existed, as stories tell of a stone well built behind the original property. The freshwater theory has yet to be tested, however we are curious!
Redwing's "Men's Room", now the Shearers Quarters, was built in the 1860s. The one stone room had a fire-place, 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 these building were knocked down by the previous owners.
The "Men's Room" became a storage room during the previous century and if you look closely at the walls there are many stories to be told - bullet holes from shooting pigeons and rainfall recordings etched into the stone. The original old door had numerous holes from where fox pelts were hung to dry.
Redwing Homestead was built in the late 1800s with four rooms running off a large hallway as well as a dry cellar. An underground stone water tank was built directly behind the homestead. The water tank is so large that many years ago a Clydesdale horse fell in and drowned, unable to get out because of the depth.
The farm was run entirely by horses and there a number of old photos dating back to these times. Horse shoes, nails, bits and even saddles are still being found around the farm.
In the 1950s two more rooms were added to the front of the original home and the verandah on the east side was enclosed as a lean-to storage area. The back verandah was also enclosed to use as a laundry.
Old houses need plenty of maintenance and the following years the house deteriorate dramatically.
The first thing the new owners did after purchasing the property was to add a new roof to the homestead to prevent further damage.
Renovations began in earnest in 2004. During 2009 the "Men's Room", which had always been a solid little building, lost its roof and began to deteriorate. With such a long history we did not want to see the building fall down, so renovations on the now Shearers Quarters began in January 2010.
In 2012 after the Shearers Quarters had been in operation for 16 months, the owners began inspecting the 1950s barn to see what potential it had.
So many people had enquired about bringing their families to Redwing, that the barn potentially offered a family friendly accommodation solution!
The barn was used for storing hay and had a large population of pigeons. But with its rustic beams and original timber flooring, we were sure we could make it into something special.
With much time and effort The Barn opened for business in Easter 2013.
In 2018, a rundown (and almost falling apart) 1950s caravan, arrived at Redwing. After much love, Little Patty ws fully refurbished, joining the accommodation offerings in 2019.
The shearing shed at Redwing Farm was built in the 1950s about the same time as the barn. Demand for the shed was lessened as Farmer Damien does more cropping and runs less sheep.
Couples were asking to be married at Redwing, so we decided to convert the shed into a wedding venue. In 2019 the conversion began and we held our first wedding in September 2020.
In January 2022, after receiving some grant money from the SA Tourism Commission, we purchased an old school bus.
With an amazing makeover Florence the Bus was open for business in August 2023.
