1853 - Dr Dickson builds ‘Rockbrook’

Dr John Dickson, a medical man with a practice in Elizabeth Street, purchased the 20 acres in September 1853 for £1,000. The land was heavily mortgaged as part security for a loan of £5,000. He named the estate Rockbrook and set about building a substantial home with an extensive view of the ocean, sited on a ridge to the south of the rivulet running into the head of the Bay.

It was a substantial two storey stone house, built in the gothic revival style, with its central front porch facing west onto a driveway. The driveway led to an avenue of trees joining Burnie Street, the “Government Road”, and ran from the western boundary of the property to Arden Street. Downstairs a central hallway gave access to the parlour, drawing room, library and kitchen and upstairs were four attic bedrooms, the main bedroom with a dressing room attached. A verandah at the rear of the house took advantage of the view over the bay and the ocean. The outbuildings included a large stable with hay loft above, a coach-house and a dairy.

Dickson also fenced the property and spent a considerable sum on landscaping at the front and rear of the house, evident in the 1866 sub-division plan to the left.

Dr Dickson’s daughter, Mary was involved in racing as owner and trainer, and the purchase and development of the estate may have been, at least in part, to provide her with the resources to pursue her calling. The oval area in front of the house, may have been cleared and levelled to provide her with a training track.

Mary’s career is an interesting one, even with the backing of her father, she clearly lacked the necessary financial resources and resorted to various scams to survive. The reports of her underhand dealings, including selling horses she did not own, bring to mind the Fine Cotton scandal. One press report has her hiding a racehorse in the house to avoid its repossession.

Whether this racing interest was a partnership between father and daughter is unknown, but by 1858, John Dickson himself was in financial difficulties. He made various attempts to extract himself from his predicament, including transferring the Little Coogee property to his wife and also sub-dividing and selling the property. But none of his manoeuvring succeeded and things finally caught up with him in 1866, when his mortgagee exercised power of sale and the property is purchased by John Campbell of Campbell’s Commercial Wharf, Sydney for £926/17/6.