Rockton

The land on which Rockton stands was first owned by James Walsh (Eastern suburban allotment 104) and Augustus Forbes (half of Eastern allotment 105). These men sold their allotments to former bank manager William Craies in February 1855 and November 1855 respectively.  Constructed and altered over a long period of time, the first section of Rockton was a three-roomed cottage built in 1855-56 for Craies and his wife Sabina. This original structure now makes up the south western wing of the house and is cited as being the oldest surviving building in Ipswich. In late 1856, well-known local builder William Hancock added an extension to the house and in subsequent years the Craies family focused on upgrading the property by including an orchard and vegetable gardens, grape vines, flower beds and a gardener's cottage.

Unfortunately, in 1862 the family experienced financial difficulties and were forced to auction Rockton. Robert Towns from Sydney purchased the property for £3,000.  At the time of the sale, the home was situated on seven and half acres of land and was described as a 'good, substantial edifice, built of bricks and shingled roof...(containing) ...front and side and back verandahs, entrance hall, dining room, drawing room, four bedrooms, nursery, pantry, store room, kitchen, servants' room, and wash house.'  

In 1867, Rockton was rented to West family and they were followed three years later by Samuel Hodgson. The latter purchased the property in 1873 for the significantly reduced price of £700. Around nine years later, Hodgson sold the property to the Bullmore family who had been in residence since 1877.

During the Bullmore's ownership, several changes were made to the property. The house was extended to incorporate more family accommodation and a breezeway between two wings was enclosed to create a ballroom. A second storey was added to northern end of the building atop which was a “widows’ walk”. A separate outbuilding was also erected to house Mr Bullmore's billiards table and a private pipeline for town water was installed.

After the patriarch's death in 1892, the Bullmores remained in Rockton and in subsequent years more extensions were made by David Armstrong (one of the daughter's fiancee). These changes included a tower block, possibly designed by George Brockwell Gill, and the addition of a verandah on the upstairs section on the north side. The original roof was also replaced with corrugated galvanized iron.

When Will and Laura Haenke purchased Rockton in 1918 the property was in a bad state of repair, having been rented for the preceding couple of years. By this time, some of its original land had also been sold. In subsequent years, Haenke - an architect - made numerous changes to home. The kitchen was re-positioned in the "join" between the original cottage wing and the main building, thus necessitating alterations to the nearby verandahs, while a large bay window was added to the living area and new floors were laid in the lounge room and salon.

In 1945, the northern side of the Rockton was modified to accommodate Willis (Haenke's son) and wife, Helen. The northern lower verandah was enclosed, creating a dining/sitting room, the front verandah box room was converted into a bathroom and the west room was transformed into a kitchen. This generation of the Haenke family inherited Rockton when Willis's father died in 1953 and in later years it was passed down to their daughter, Angela. In 2021, the Haenke family still owned the property.

A Victoria-era mansion, Rockton is impressive in its size and detailing, as well as its cohesive fusion of elements added over a period of more than 100 years.