Portrait of J. Chewings from Woorkoongoree from the S.A. Northern Pioneers' composite, 1850-1859 (shown in position on B 6912/4).

After initially carting timber with bullock teams in the Mount Lofty Ranges Chewings took up land north of Burra with his partner George Hiles. This property was later divided with Chewings taking the southern portion which he named Woorkoongoree. He later owned Teetulpa station which was on the mail run to Broken Hill: this was managed for him by Ben Hiles.  He next acquired the Kadlunga estate near Mintaro and the family moved there. Chewings supplied the miners on the minor goldfields at Ulooloo and Teetulpa, but did not engage in mining himself, though his children spent some of their time there. No large nuggets were ever retrieved from the Ulooloo gold field.  

Chewings Nob, west of Yunta is named after Chewings. John Chewings died on 26 April 1879 age 62 at Kadlunga, Mintaro. Kadlunga was sold to Chief Justice Way, and Teetulpa was taken up by his son George.  His third son Charles became an anthropologist, geologist and explorer and discovered the sources of the Finke River in the Northern Territory.