He lived and worked in Balranald for six weeks and then moved to Wilcannia, where he worked as a contractor. In 1884 he established the first hotel in Silverton, The Silverton Hotel. De Baun also served as an alderman on the Silverton Council. In the wake of the gold rush in Broken Hill, he built another successful hotel, The Grand Hotel, in 1888. He also started investing in the Adelaide Stock Exchange and was worth £100,000 at one point, a large sum of money at the time. He also invested in property in Broken Hill and Adelaide. However, in 1892, he lost his fortune due to an economic downturn in the economy of Eastern Australia, and was only worth £5,000.
