The Italian Connection in Freycinet Stone

The Freycinet Peninsula was formed more than 400 million years ago and consists of two enormous knuckles of granite, the Hazards and the Mt Graham/Mt Freycinet sections which are joined by a sandy isthmus. The Dovonian Granite consists of feldspar (orthoclase) which is pink or cream in colour, micas (black minerals) and quartz (white glassy mineral). Without giving away too many geological erosion details, it is the quartz from within the granite that attributes to the white sandy beaches of the Freycinet Peninsula. At various locations around the National Park it is possible to see this erosion process with your very own eyes as the mineral components of the granite still exist as tiny pebbles. The white sands of the Freycinet beaches, including Wineglass Bay Beach, are the refined version. This sand will squeak under your feet when you walk which is an indication of purity and absence of pollution.

In fact, 80% of the Freycinet Peninsula is composed of granite and The Granite Mountains are hard to miss particularly in the right light when the warm pink hues of the stones come alive. This pink tint, caused by iron oxide impurities in the feldspar, combined with the orange lichen that dapples the boulders surfaces creates a magnificent spectacle of nature, the beauty of which did not escape the trained eyes of two eager stonemasons in the 1930’s.

Enter the Italians, Mario and Biagio Zanchetta. The Zanchetta brothers immediately recognised the unique beauty of the pink/red granite of Freycinet and endeavoured to establish a quarry on the Peninsular at Parsons Cove. They were granted a lease and the quarry operated intermittently from 1934 until its closure in the 1970’s.

Quarrying granite was back breaking work with the brothers initially using hand tools and manual techniques to divide and conquer the majestic boulders. Holes were hand-drilled in the stone and water soaked wooden pegs were placed in these holes. As the pegs dried the wood expanded, splitting the stones with the assistance of hammers. The use of explosives came later. During its operation the quarry produced pink granite, which was shipped to Melbourne for cutting and polishing. In 1952 it was announced that decorative Coles Bay Granite would be featured in the walls and floor of the new Commonwealth Bank building in Hobart. The granite would feature in other Hobart buildings and the new Parliament House in Canberra. Some rumours suggest that the granite even made it to the Empire State Building in the US but with little documentation available on the quarry’s operation these cannot be confirmed.

As new technologies evolved costs of operating the quarry increased as did risk with the application of explosives. It was impossible to know how the stone would fall after a blast and much was lost to the sea. After the loss of a life and increasing environmental impact concerns the quarry ceased to operate during the 1970’s.

Details of the lives of the Zanchetta brothers is publically, very limited. I want to learn more about these men who recognised profit in the beauty of the Freycinet stone and who weren’t afraid to work hard, very hard to make gains. But did they prosper? Was all their hard work worth it? Also, I’m curious to know about the men themselves. Which part of Italy were they from? What brought them to Australia and how did they end up on Tasmania’s East Coast? Did they stay on? What did they do next? Are their families still living in Tasmania? It’s not ancient history. There has to be more known about these brothers, in living memory even. Perhaps someone might read this one day and share with me more of their story.

To some it is the sea that holds magic and ever changing views from calm and surreal to fiercely stormy.

For others it is the majesty of mountains, raising the horizon, cutting the sky with icy peaks, performing dances with clouds or setting the sun.

But blessed are those who take time to notice the changing hues of any view in nature for they will feel a renewal, a recharge and indeed a rebirth in their soul.

Take the time.