 Rieff spent some time at Hatches Creek and built a large home there for Dorothy, his Australian born wife, and their six children.In 1927 Rieff was guide to Cecil Madigan and Sir Douglas Mawson who were inspecting nitrate deposits in the West MacDonnell Ranges where Aboriginal people had reported the soft, white, crystalline substance which burned readily.Ultimately this deposit was discovered to be of a high quality but not a large enough amount to be of commercial interest.