 Brunskill first "leased a portion of section 290, comprising , from the South Australian Company with a right to purchase the freehold", in the area now known as Marryatville.An undated document, estimated c.1840 by the State Library, shows a mortgage agreement for the sum of £300 between Brunskill and the Savings Bank of South Australia, describing an eight-roomed brick home to be built on 6.5 acres.In a letter written in August 1839, Brunskill describes the countryside as "magnificent" after rains, with trees, flowers, vegetables all flourishing.