Ever wondered about the land tucked in behind Armanasco House and the Blockhouse Bay Library? It has its own story to tell, and reflects much of the 20th century history of the bay. Known as the Avondale South Domain from 1889 until 2009, the Gittos Domain's story is one stretching from late 19th century wool-scouring and the tanning of leather, through to holiday camping disputes, the emergence of a local community identity, and now as part of Te Ara o Tiriwa walkway.
In 1890, Francis Gittos leased the Avondale South Domain and started up Blockhouse Bay's earliest known industry. The business he set up at the Bay was a wool-scouring works. This would follow on naturally from his father Benjamin's own subsidiary wool-scouring works alongside the Oakley Creek tannery. Francis found the business too much, and reverted to tanning in a smaller scale operation.
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