Since Nan Bought

Southern Adelaide · South Australia

What's changed in Noarlunga since Nan bought

In 1955 a typical Noarlunga house was about $6,100, or 3.6 years of an average wage. In 2026 it is about $675,000, or 6.8 years. Here is the decade-by-decade version, what was standing when, and what her block does now.

Price, 1955 → 2026
$6,100 → $675,000
Years of wages
3.6 → 6.8
Rebuilt or infill today
15% of homes

Modelled, not measured. Prices are the Adelaide median house price of the day (rounded, dollars of the day) scaled to where Noarlunga 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
$6,100≈ 3.6 yrs of wages ($1,700/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 1955
9%
1965
$8,600≈ 3.1 yrs of wages ($2,800/yr)

Cream brick veneer, one bathroom, a Hills Hoist.

Of today's houses, standing by 1965
19%
1975
$23,500≈ 2.9 yrs of wages ($8,000/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 1975
40%
1985
$61,500≈ 3.1 yrs of wages ($20,000/yr)

The ensuite arrives. Colorbond replaces galvanised iron.

Of today's houses, standing by 1985
66%
1995
$92,500≈ 2.7 yrs of wages ($34,000/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 1995
79%
2005
$220,000≈ 4 yrs of wages ($55,000/yr)

Biggest houses in the world. Alfresco and theatre room.

Of today's houses, standing by 2005
88%
2015
$345,000≈ 4.4 yrs of wages ($78,000/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 2015
94%
2026
$675,000≈ 6.8 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 ~15% infill that replaced an earlier house.

What's been knocked down

Rebuild pressure in Noarlunga is medium. A knockdown or a subdivision every few streets. Character is shifting but the original stock still dominates. The Noarlunga Centre precinct is going higher; the residential streets are quietly renovating.

Locals know: Old Noarlunga on the Onkaparinga River is a separate 1840s village with its own heritage rules.

What Nan's block does today

A typical Noarlunga block is 600-800m². Three realistic paths in 2026.

Split it into two Torrens titles

Blocks of 600-800m² in Noarlunga 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 Noarlunga

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

Modelled on the Adelaide median of the day and Noarlunga's current position relative to the city, a typical Noarlunga house was around $8,600 in 1965, or about 3.1 years of an average full-time wage. In 2026 it is around $675,000, or about 6.8 years of wages. These are indicative figures, not sales records.

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

Roughly 15% of today's homes in Noarlunga 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 Noarlunga like when it was built?+

The largest share of Noarlunga (35%) is 1970s brown brick (1970s). Brown brick veneer, mission-brown aluminium windows, ducted evaporative on the roof, a family room off the kitchen and a pergola out the back. Project homes from the big volume builders.

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