Belfrayden silo VK-BLN2

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After packing up at Minjary National Park on Sunday, 2nd November 2026, Marija and I headed back to Gundagai and revisited the Gundagai Visitor Information Centre. We specifically wanted to have a look at Rusconi’s Marble Masterpiece.

Frank Rusconi was the sculptor of the famous Dog on the Tuckerbox. He also created this absolutely magnificent masterpiece.

Francis Philip ‘Frank’ Rusconi was born on the 20th August 1874 at Bell’s Creek, which is located near Braidwood in New South Wales. His father, Pietro ‘Peter’ Rusconi, was born in 1842 in Switzerland. He was a stonemason and emigrated to Australia in 1865, and in 1869, he married Mary McCarthy. She was born in 1847 at Braidwood, N.S.W. (ancestry 2016) (Kerr 1988)

Frank was only 4 years old when his mother died in 1878, at Braidwood. His father took Frank and his siblings to live in Switzerland to be cared for by his sister. By the age of 15, Frank was an apprentice in the marble trade in Verquinto, Italy. He completed his apprenticeship in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He then took on the role of ‘foreman interpreter’ with Renard, Fèvre & Co. of Paris and Conblanchien, travelling for work to France, Italy and England. (Kerr 1988)

By early 1901, Frank returned to Australia and established the Borenore marble quarries near Orange, N.S.W. His father and brother Joseph ‘Joe’ worked with him at the quarry, extracting marble which had become popular in the construction of buildings in Sydney. (Kerr 1988)

Four years later, in 1905, he settled in Gundagai, and he established a monumental masonry business. On the 15th day of June 1905, he married Florence Elizabeth Smith, in Bega, N.S.W. Rusconi’s business thrived and his headstones were known for their excellent quality. (ancestry 2016) (Kerr 1988)

In June 1910, Rusconi commenced collecting different marble from around New South Wales. He used these to create the Marble Masterpiece. (Kerr 1988) (Trove 2026)

In June 1923, whilst cutting a piece of wood, Rusconi suffered a serious eye injury. A wood chip flew up and struck his right eye, which burst the eyeball and pupil. As a result of the accident, Rusconi lost sight in his right eye. (Kerr 1988)

Above: article from The Gundagai Times, Tue 19 Jun 1923. Image c/o Trove

In 1932, Rusconi was contracted to create the bronze sculpture of the Dog on the Tuckerbox, which is his best-known work. (Kerr 1988)

Above: article from The Sun, Mon 28 Nov 1932. Image c/o Trove

The Marble Masterpiece was completed in November 1937. The Tumut and Adelogn Times reported: “An illustration, or a word-picture fails to describe the magnificence of this work of meticulous accuracy.”(Trove 2026)

Above: article from The Tumut & Adelong Times, Tue 18 Oct 1938. Image c/o Trove

In his latter life, he experienced severe arthritis and was unable to carve marble. Instead, he made small plaster souvenirs for tourists visiting the Dog on the Tuckerbox. (Kerr 1988)

Above: Frank Rusconi. Image c/o National Library of Australia

Frank died on the 21st day of May 1964 at Cootamundra, aged 90 years. He is buried in the Catholic section of the Gundagai Cemetery. (ancestry 2016) (Kerr 1988)

The Marble Masterpiece is a 1.2 metre (4-foot) high model of an imaginary Baroque Italian palace. No plans were used. It consists of 20,948 pieces from 20 different varieties of marble, and after 28 years of work, was completed in 1938. (Kerr 1988) (Marble 2020)

Prior to the Masterpiece being placed on display at the Visitor Centre, it was on display in a room at the Royal Hotel in Gundagai. (Trove 2026)

Also at the display is a detailed miniature marble model of the altar at St Marie’s Cathedral near Paris, France. No specialised equipment was used to create the miniature. Rusconi used basic marble worker’s tools and an old lathe, which was made from a discarded sewing machine. (Kerr 1988) (Marble 2020) (Trove 2026)

It was time for us to leave Gundagai and head to Jerilderie. We had spent 3 very enjoyable nights in Gundagi and can highly recommend a visit to this historic town. There are so many things to see and do.

Along the way we stopped to have a look at the historic Shanty Hotel on the Sturt Highway at Alfredtown near Wagga Wagga.

Mary Ryan was born in 1822 in Queens County, Ireland. She emigrated to Australia in the late 1850s with her 4 sons and 3 daughters. She settled at Alfredtown and named their property ‘Glandore’. Her daughter, Ellen married Patrick Rogers in 1865. Patrick built the hotel in 1868. It was known as the Prince Alfred Hotel. On the 10th day of May 1955, the name of the hotel was changed to the Shanty Hotel as this was the hotel’s common nickname. Sadly, this is another closed hotel. Its last trading day was 26th April 2009. (Burch 2018) (Nsw.gov.au 2026)

We then stopped briefly at the Big Murray Cod sign on the Sturt Highway on the eastern side of Wagga Wagga. It was initially located at the Murray Cod Hatcheries and Fauna Park in 1975. The park closed in 1995, at which time the Cod fell into disrepair. Following the purchase of the property, the Cod was restored to its current excellent condition. (About Regional n.d.)

We continued on to the little town of Belfrayden, west of Wagga Wagga on Lockhart Road. It is a tiny town with just a handful of homes.

The Belfrayden silo is located on Andrews Road, alongside the old Kywong railway line. The Kywong branch line was built in 1928 to service the wheat crops in the southern parts of New South Wales. It extended from Uranquinty to Kywong. The line closed on 1988. The Belfrayden railway station closed in 1976. (Nswrail.net 2026)

Marija and I set up alongside the silos and operated from the 4WD. We ran the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 930 antenna with the 1.5 metre stainless steel whip.

Above: the activation zone at Belfrayden silo. Image c/o SiOTA website

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK2ETI
  2. VK3PF (VKFF-4475)
  3. VK2IO/P (VKFF-3181)
  4. VK1AO
  5. VK2MET
  6. VK3WSG
  7. VK3ZPF/P (VKFF-5033)
  8. VK2XWB/P (VKFF-2784)

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK2ETI
  2. VK3PF (VKFF-4475)
  3. VK2IO/P (VKFF-3181)
  4. VK1AO
  5. VK2MET
  6. VK3ARD
  7. VK3WSG
  8. VK1CHW
  9. VK2CHW
  10. VK2NP
  11. VK3BCM
  12. VK3ZPF/P (VKFF-5033)
  13. VK5DW
  14. VK2XWB/P (VKFF-2784)
  15. VK2FALL
  16. VK3APJ
  17. VK3CLD
  18. VK5QA
  19. VK2DBF

References.

  1. About Regional. (n.d.). Homepage. [online] Available at: https://aboutregional.com.au. [Accessed 7 Mar. 2026]
  2. ‌ancestry (2016). Ancestry® | Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records. [online] Ancestry.com.au. Available at: https://www.ancestry.com.au/. [Accessed 16 Mar. 2026]
  3. ‌Burch, G, 2018, Some History of Hotels on the Kyamba Creek at Alfredtown, and at Forest Hill
  4. Kerr, J. (1988). Rusconi, Francis Philip (Frank) (1874–1964). [online] Anu.edu.au. Available at: https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/rusconi-francis-philip-frank-8299 [Accessed 16 Mar. 2026].
  5. ‌Marble, R. (2020). Visit Gundagai. [online] Visit Gundagai. Available at: https://www.visitgundagai.com.au/discovergundagai/rusconis-marble-masterpiece [Accessed 16 Mar. 2026].
  6. ‌Nsw.gov.au. (2026). The Shanty | Heritage NSW. [online] Available at: https://apps.environment.nsw.gov.au/dpcheritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=2560058 [Accessed 16 Mar. 2026].
  7. ‌Nswrail.net. (2026). Kywong Branch. [online] Available at: https://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:kywong [Accessed 16 Mar. 2026].
  8. ‌Trove. (2026). ANOTHER RUSCONI MASTERPIECE – Now On Display At Gundagai – The Gundagai Independent (NSW : 1928 – 1954) – 4 Mar 1954. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/265334311?searchTerm=frank%20rusconi [Accessed 16 Mar. 2026].
  9. ‌Trove. (2026). The Tumut and Adelong Times (NSW : 1864 – 1867; 1899 – 1950) – 18 Oct 1938 – p4. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/15849902?searchTerm=frank%20rusconi%20%2B%20marble [Accessed 16 Mar. 2026].‌

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