Hoddle was one of the earliest-known European artists to depict Ginninderra, the area now occupied by Canberra, Australia's National Capital.

[5] Hoddle spent the next twelve years in Queensland and later still in New South Wales where he surveyed the sites for the towns of Berrima and Goulburn as well as Bell's Line of Road in the Blue Mountains.

Hoddle's field book indexes the history of the aforementioned areas and pastoralists— George Palmer, Robert Campbell and Hamilton Hume.

[11] Hoddle arrived in Port Phillip, the future site for Melbourne, in March 1837 in company with Governor Bourke, as senior surveyor with his assistants D'Arcy and Darke.

The areas closest to the city in what is now Fitzroy, Collingwood and Richmond, were soon subdivided by speculators creating the sometimes quite narrow streets and irregular grid pattern.

In 1853 he was gently asked to retire in favour of Andrew Young, who is credited with the subdivisions of Carlton, Fitzroy North and South Geelong that include formal parks, squares and crescents.

[5] Hoddle built himself a house on the corner of Bourke and Spencer streets where, in retirement, he tended his trees, played organ and flute and translated Spanish.

He had bought in 1837 the block of land in Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, on which the Commonwealth Bank now stands, for a comparatively small sum, and he became a wealthy man.

[2][1][3][4] He died at his residence on the north east corner of Bourke and Spencer Street, a lot he bought at one of the first land sales, on 24 October 1881.