In the early 1990s,Ambassador Michael Cook added a lawn tennis court to the property,which proved an instant hit with the Washington elite. Members of the Kennedy and Bush political dynasties played on the court,as did former world number one tennis player Stanley Smith.
But grass courts are difficult and expensive to maintain,making them increasingly rare. By the time Hockey arrived in Washington,the court had fallen into disrepair.
"My predecessor[Kim Beazley] decided it wasn't worth the upkeep,"Hockey says."He intended to turn it into vegetable gardens.
"My kids were using it as a soccer pitch."
Hockey thought this was a waste,since it's the only lawn tennis court in Washington and one of only a handful in the US north-east. Playing on grass is a dream of many tennis lovers.
One day Hockey mentioned the overgrown court to Westfield chief executive Peter Lowy,who took an instant interest in restoring it.
"He was indefatigable,"Hockey says."He kept at me about it,he wrote to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He saw it as the best tool of diplomacy in Washington."
After participating in a tender process,Westfield donated $US85,000 ($118,000) to renovate and maintain the court for five years.
"The lawn court is unique in Washington,and over the years has played a major role in allowing the opportunity for US and Australian leaders to interact in a relaxed environment,which is good for both countries,"Peter Lowy says.
"It was a natural fit,and an appropriate gesture given the long friendship between the two nations."
The refurbishment was completed last year and the court will soon be officially re-opened at an event featuring 11-time grand slam champion Rod Laver and US Open winner Fred Stolle.
Hockey says the investment is already paying dividends.
Senior members of congress,military leaders and foreign diplomats have all played on the court over the past year. And during intense negotiations about new tariffs on steel and aluminium,Trump's commerce secretary Wilbur Ross visited Hockey's home simply to see it.Australia was among a select group of countries to win an exemption from the tariffs.
As well as tennis,Hockey has deployed other tactics to expand Australia's soft power in Washington. In April Hockey played nine holes of golf with Trump and his budget director at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia,a rare level of one-on-one presidential access for a foreign diplomat.
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He has also put works by some of Australia's most famous artists,including Arthur Boyd,Sidney Nolan and Margaret Olley,on display at his residence to showcase the country's cultural prowess.
"The art of diplomacy in Washington is to develop relationships outside of meetings,"Hockey says.
"Administration officials are exhausted by meetings:they have a conga line of countries trying to figure out what is going on inside the White House.
"They are desperate for something outside the cocktail circuit,the daily grind of politics."
Hockey hopes the grass court at White Oaks remains in good condition long after his tenure as ambassador is over.
"This is a massive point of difference for us. It's about having our voice heard in the most powerful country in the world."