Since Nan Bought

Southern Adelaide · South Australia

What's changed in Blackwood since Nan bought

In 1955 a typical Blackwood house was about $7,400, or 4.4 years of an average wage. In 2026 it is about $990,000, or 9.9 years. Here is the decade-by-decade version, what was standing when, and what her block does now.

Price, 1955 → 2026
$7,400 → $990,000
Years of wages
4.4 → 9.9
Rebuilt or infill today
10% of homes

Modelled, not measured. Prices are the Adelaide median house price of the day (rounded, dollars of the day) scaled to where Blackwood 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
$7,400≈ 4.4 yrs of wages ($1,700/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 1955
18%
1965
$10,500≈ 3.8 yrs of wages ($2,800/yr)

Cream brick veneer, one bathroom, a Hills Hoist.

Of today's houses, standing by 1965
35%
1975
$30,000≈ 3.8 yrs of wages ($8,000/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 1975
65%
1985
$80,500≈ 4 yrs of wages ($20,000/yr)

The ensuite arrives. Colorbond replaces galvanised iron.

Of today's houses, standing by 1985
83%
1995
$125,000≈ 3.7 yrs of wages ($34,000/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 1995
88%
2005
$305,000≈ 5.5 yrs of wages ($55,000/yr)

Biggest houses in the world. Alfresco and theatre room.

Of today's houses, standing by 2005
92%
2015
$490,000≈ 6.3 yrs of wages ($78,000/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 2015
96%
2026
$990,000≈ 9.9 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%

Includes ~10% infill that replaced an earlier house.

What's been knocked down

Rebuild pressure in Blackwood is low. Streets look much as they did. Occasional renovation, very little demolition. Stable hills-edge suburb. Infill only near the shops and train line.

Locals know: Bushfire rules apply to the gully streets, and the slate under the topsoil makes trenching expensive.

What Nan's block does today

A typical Blackwood block is 700-1,200m². Three realistic paths in 2026.

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 Blackwood

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

Modelled on the Adelaide median of the day and Blackwood's current position relative to the city, a typical Blackwood house was around $10,500 in 1965, or about 3.8 years of an average full-time wage. In 2026 it is around $990,000, or about 9.9 years of wages. These are indicative figures, not sales records.

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

Roughly 10% of today's homes in Blackwood are infill: townhouses, courtyard homes or rebuilds that replaced an earlier house. Rebuild pressure is low: Streets look much as they did. Occasional renovation, very little demolition.

What was Blackwood like when it was built?+

The largest share of Blackwood (25%) is 1960s cream brick veneer (1960s). Triple-fronted cream brick veneer, low hip tiled roof, aluminium or steel windows, concrete slab, carport on the side. The Adelaide suburb standard.

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