 Dowling did critical work and continued to play with bands – Temenos (rock band, 1970–72); Gestalt (acoustic band, 1972–75) after taking a teaching position at a Sydney business college.At least one of his rock bands used to play for the patients at a mental hospital at Bedlam Point, near his home – a source for 'Cape Bedlam', location of the Madhouse in the "Tom Rynosseros" cycle.He wrote a science fiction play called "The Tunnel", and eventually sold his first professional story to "Omega Science Digest" ("The Man Who Walks Away Behind the Eyes", in the May/June 1982 issue).