Early Life
Angelo Giulio Diego Bernacchi – also known as Diego Bernacchi – was born in Italy on 1 July 1853 and was educated at Varese and in Prussia.
He married his wife Barbe Straetmans in Brussels on 20 September 1876, and they had three children together.
After living in England for a period of time, the family moved to Tasmania in 1884.
Maria Island
Soon after arriving in Tasmania, Bernacchi became enchanted by Maria Island, which had twice served as a convict penal settlement (Darlington Probation Station) between 1825 and 1850.
He managed to secure a lease of the island through an act of parliament and moved there with his family. He hit the ground running and established sericulture and viticulture industries.
In 1887, Bernacchi founded the Maria Island Company and launched other industries on the island, such as farming and fishing. By 1888, the island had a population of approximately 250 people, its various industries were thriving, and Bernacchi became known as ‘King Diego’.
Downfall
Bernacchi’s success was not to last: a financial depression in the 1890s contributed to the collapse of his business empire. He then founded National Portland Cement and established a large-scale cement factory on Maria Island that used the island’s natural deposits of limestone. It closed in 1930 due to production problems and the Great Depression.
Death & Legacy
Bernacchi fell ill shortly after establishing the cement factory. He passed away in 1925 at the age of 72.
After his death, several farms were established on Maria Island. The state government bought the properties a few decades later, and in 1972, it declared Maria Island a national park.
Parts of Bernacchi’s cement factory were demolished in preparation for the national park (the complex was not seen as historically important at the time), but the remaining components have since been preserved. Additionally, several other buildings Bernacchi erected still stand today.
Maria Island remains a national park and is accessible via a ferry service from the east coast town of Triabunna.
Featured image above: grape vines that were planted on Maria Island by Diego Bernacchi.
Callum J. Jones studied English, History, and Journalism at the University of Tasmania. He has written fiction and non-fiction for Tasmanian Times since 2018. He can be traced by the smell of fresh coffee.
Follow him on Twitter (@Callum_Jones_10) and Facebook (@callum.j.jones.creative).
