Since Nan Bought

North-East Adelaide · South Australia

What's changed in Campbelltown since Nan bought

In 1955 a typical Campbelltown house was about $7,200, or 4.2 years of an average wage. In 2026 it is about $945,000, or 9.5 years. Here is the decade-by-decade version, what was standing when, and what her block does now.

Price, 1955 → 2026
$7,200 → $945,000
Years of wages
4.2 → 9.5
Rebuilt or infill today
35% of homes

Modelled, not measured. Prices are the Adelaide median house price of the day (rounded, dollars of the day) scaled to where Campbelltown 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
$7,200≈ 4.2 yrs of wages ($1,700/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 1955
8%
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
$29,000≈ 3.6 yrs of wages ($8,000/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 1975
60%
1985
$77,500≈ 3.9 yrs of wages ($20,000/yr)

The ensuite arrives. Colorbond replaces galvanised iron.

Of today's houses, standing by 1985
65%
1995
$120,000≈ 3.5 yrs of wages ($34,000/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 1995
65%
2005
$290,000≈ 5.3 yrs of wages ($55,000/yr)

Biggest houses in the world. Alfresco and theatre room.

Of today's houses, standing by 2005
72%
2015
$470,000≈ 6 yrs of wages ($78,000/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 2015
85%
2026
$945,000≈ 9.5 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 ~35% infill that replaced an earlier house.

What's been knocked down

Rebuild pressure in Campbelltown is high. Two or three homes replacing one on many streets. Original houses are becoming the minority and land value drives everything. One of Adelaide's busiest knockdown corridors. The 1960s cream bricks are going two-for-one along Lower North East Road and every side street off it.

Locals know: Locals know: if the house is original and the walls are not cracked, someone has been very careful with the watering.

What Nan's block does today

A typical Campbelltown block is 700-900m² originals, 300-400m² infill. Three realistic paths in 2026.

Split it into two Torrens titles

Blocks of 700-900m² originals, 300-400m² infill in Campbelltown 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 Campbelltown

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

Modelled on the Adelaide median of the day and Campbelltown's current position relative to the city, a typical Campbelltown house was around $10,500 in 1965, or about 3.8 years of an average full-time wage. In 2026 it is around $945,000, or about 9.5 years of wages. These are indicative figures, not sales records.

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

Roughly 35% of today's homes in Campbelltown are infill: townhouses, courtyard homes or rebuilds that replaced an earlier house. Rebuild pressure is high: Two or three homes replacing one on many streets. Original houses are becoming the minority and land value drives everything.

What was Campbelltown like when it was built?+

The largest share of Campbelltown (40%) 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.

Cookies on. Learn more