In the 1850’s the group of small farms that included Paulina's Dal suffered two major convulsions, first when it was sold to Daniel Jacobus Du Toit and later, when du Toit sold a portion of the property and created what became Rickety Bridge out of what land he retained. This Du Toit could trace his ancestry back through his mother Anna Margarita de Villiers to David, a brother of Paulina’s father and a grandson of Jacques de Villiers. 

Leading up to 1850 the wine industry had taken a knock and was heading for depression.

In 1840 the exports had been   465 773 gallons

In 1850 they were reduced to  246 132 gallons

By 1853 this was down to       182 322 gallons

In that year a consignment to England lost its owners £3000 and on a similar consignment to Madagascar, £4000.

However, at that point, the local industry received a boost when the powdery mildew, Oidium Tucheri, devastated the vineyards of Europe, lifting the price of a leaguer of Cape wine, roughly 120 gallons, from 67 to 82 Rix dollars.

It may be that this created one of those sudden surges in an economic sector for which South Africa is famous and convinced people, like D. J. du Toit, that the wine industry was ripe for investment.

Whatever the reason, du Toit bought the farms, including Paulina's Dal for £1125 in 1853, taking a mortgage bond from Albertus Jacob de Villiers for £500,

Du Toit also took a mortgage on the properties from Paulina’s father, Paul, for £1000, presumably to finance a replanting and expansion. It meant Du Toit's mortgage on  the property now stood at £1500 when its market value, set by his own purchase, was only £1125, and the scene was set for his insolvency.

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