Since Nan Bought

Southern Adelaide · South Australia

What's changed in Aldinga since Nan bought

In 1955 a typical Aldinga house was about $6,300, or 3.7 years of an average wage. In 2026 it is about $720,000, or 7.2 years. Here is the decade-by-decade version, what was standing when, and what her block does now.

Price, 1955 → 2026
$6,300 → $720,000
Years of wages
3.7 → 7.2
Rebuilt or infill today
0% of homes

Modelled, not measured. Prices are the Adelaide median house price of the day (rounded, dollars of the day) scaled to where Aldinga sits against the city median in 2026, blended toward the median for earlier decades because suburbs move up and down the ladder. Wages are national average full-time earnings. Treat every figure as "about". For actual sales history, ask an agent or the state valuer.

The decades

1955
$6,300≈ 3.7 yrs of wages ($1,700/yr)

Trust homes and fibro on the fringe; stone villas closer in.

Of today's houses, standing by 1955
5%
1965
$8,900≈ 3.2 yrs of wages ($2,800/yr)

Cream brick veneer, one bathroom, a Hills Hoist.

Of today's houses, standing by 1965
15%
1975
$24,500≈ 3.1 yrs of wages ($8,000/yr)

Brown brick project homes, ducted evaporative, a family room.

Of today's houses, standing by 1975
25%
1985
$64,500≈ 3.2 yrs of wages ($20,000/yr)

The ensuite arrives. Colorbond replaces galvanised iron.

Of today's houses, standing by 1985
36%
1995
$97,000≈ 2.9 yrs of wages ($34,000/yr)

Four-two-two under one roof. Rendered feature walls.

Of today's houses, standing by 1995
39%
2005
$230,000≈ 4.2 yrs of wages ($55,000/yr)

Biggest houses in the world. Alfresco and theatre room.

Of today's houses, standing by 2005
55%
2015
$365,000≈ 4.7 yrs of wages ($78,000/yr)

Two-for-one subdivisions start. Solar on a third of roofs.

Of today's houses, standing by 2015
79%
2026
$720,000≈ 7.2 yrs of wages ($100,000/yr)

7-star, all-electric, 300m² blocks. Or a rebuild on Nan's.

Of today's houses, standing by 2026
100%

What's been knocked down

Rebuild pressure in Aldinga is medium. A knockdown or a subdivision every few streets. Character is shifting but the original stock still dominates. Aldinga Beach shacks are being replaced one by one; the estates behind are still releasing.

Locals know: Aldinga Scrub and the Washpool are conservation land, so several streets have environmental overlays on top of coastal ones.

What Nan's block does today

A typical Aldinga block is 400-800m² estates, larger toward the scrub. Three realistic paths in 2026.

Split it into two Torrens titles

Blocks of 400-800m² estates, larger toward the scrub in Aldinga are the size developers look for. Two 4-bed homes typically $550K-$750K each to build, before demolition and civils.

Read the guide

Knock it down, build one

One 220-260m² family home on the full block, $520K-$900K depending on builder tier. Keeps the backyard.

Read the guide

Keep it and fix it

Roof, rewire, switchboard, salt damp and a bathroom: $60K-$120K to bring an old Adelaide house up to modern comfort.

Read the guide

Questions about Aldinga

How much did a house in Aldinga cost in the 1960s?+

Modelled on the Adelaide median of the day and Aldinga's current position relative to the city, a typical Aldinga house was around $8,900 in 1965, or about 3.2 years of an average full-time wage. In 2026 it is around $720,000, or about 7.2 years of wages. These are indicative figures, not sales records.

How much of Aldinga has been knocked down and rebuilt?+

Roughly 0% of today's homes in Aldinga are infill: townhouses, courtyard homes or rebuilds that replaced an earlier house. Rebuild pressure is medium: A knockdown or a subdivision every few streets. Character is shifting but the original stock still dominates.

What was Aldinga like when it was built?+

The largest share of Aldinga (30%) is 2000s estates (2000s). Rendered or face-brick four-two-two, alfresco, theatre room, rainwater tank on the side. Blocks 450-600m². Volume builders on greenfield land.

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