Thomas Sullock invested heavily in property and businesses in early Penguin after he inherited his families’ assets on the death of his mother in 1875. In 1875, Thomas purchased the property and lived there, possibly operating a store. Watcombe House, now 114 Main Rd Penguin, and store was originally established by Edwin and Anderson Cummings of the River Don. It was later converted into a boarding house by Thomas Sullock during the 1880s. In 1877-8, Thomas opened the Temperance Hotel in Penguin, which was on 100 Main St, and leased it to Mr and Mrs Jenkins to run. It served no alcoholic drinks and hosted over 100 people for Christmas dinner that year according to reports in the Examiner newspaper. A hall was erected next to the hotel for holding community events. Thomas also invested and promoted mining and prospecting companies including Emu Bay and Pieman River prospecting company, Penguin Silver Mine, Watcombe Mining company, and Penguin Mining and Prospecting Company.

In 1879, Mr Sullock established the Agricultural Society in Penguin and they began holding shows with produce awards. He and his wife, Mary Ann Sullock (nee Dempsey nee Radford), whom he married in 1879, were avid home gardeners and orchardists. In 1880, it was reported in the Hobart Gazette that Thomas owned a smithy with house, shop with house and additional land leased to others in Penguin, a house, as well as the Temperance hotel. In the course of his life, he donated land to the Cricket Club and land was purchased off him for the Penguin postoffice.

In 1883, Thomas established the Penguin Sea bathing Association which built a small change rooms on Watcombe beach and he undertook advertising to attract tourists to visit the area. In 1887, Thomas bought the Penguin Hotel and made alterations to it ‘for the comfort of ladies and gentlemen seeking pleasure and retirement by the sea side.’ He was president of the Penguin Progress Association in 1888.

He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1886 and served until 1896.

In 1888, Thomas sold most of his property interests in Penguin, possibly due to his wife Mary Ann who was suffering from throat cancer, or to invest in property or activities outside of Penguin. Mary Ann died in 1890 and Thomas sold Watcombe house not long after her death, in 1891. After another trip back to England, Thomas married Mabel Mumford in 1894 and had three children before dying in 1903, at 74 years old, of chronic bronchitis. He’s buried with Mary Ann in the Penguin cemetery. Mabel and their children moved out of the Penguin area.

Thomas’s father was Lt George Mace Sullock in the navy from 1817-1818 who was born 8 Oct 1789 in Kingston Devon, died 1830 Devon. He married Ann Salter Bartlett 1788-1875 whose and had eight children, Thomas was the youngest boy and second youngest child born in ~1829. They lived in Devonshire, England. Thomas came out to the colonies in 1852, arriving in Victoria, being there at the time of the early gold rush. Thomas moved to River Don in the mid-1860s soon purchasing 120 acres at Sulphur Creek and with the Radford/Stones assistance, built a two roomed hut. This later became known as ‘Brimley’ located on land now at 30 Traver’s Lane, Howth. “Brimley” was sold to Patrick Thomas Sullivan for 5 shillings in 1884. Patrick had married Thomas Sullock’s step-daughter, Frances Jane Sullock, originally Dempsey, in 1883.