Since Nan Bought

North-East Adelaide · South Australia

What's changed in Tea Tree Gully since Nan bought

In 1955 a typical Tea Tree Gully house was about $6,700, or 3.9 years of an average wage. In 2026 it is about $810,000, or 8.1 years. Here is the decade-by-decade version, what was standing when, and what her block does now.

Price, 1955 → 2026
$6,700 → $810,000
Years of wages
3.9 → 8.1
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 Tea Tree Gully 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
$6,700≈ 3.9 yrs of wages ($1,700/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 1955
7%
1965
$9,400≈ 3.4 yrs of wages ($2,800/yr)

Cream brick veneer, one bathroom, a Hills Hoist.

Of today's houses, standing by 1965
11%
1975
$26,000≈ 3.3 yrs of wages ($8,000/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 1975
33%
1985
$69,500≈ 3.5 yrs of wages ($20,000/yr)

The ensuite arrives. Colorbond replaces galvanised iron.

Of today's houses, standing by 1985
62%
1995
$105,000≈ 3.1 yrs of wages ($34,000/yr)

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

Of today's houses, standing by 1995
81%
2005
$255,000≈ 4.6 yrs of wages ($55,000/yr)

Biggest houses in the world. Alfresco and theatre room.

Of today's houses, standing by 2005
92%
2015
$410,000≈ 5.3 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
$810,000≈ 8.1 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 Tea Tree Gully is low. Streets look much as they did. Occasional renovation, very little demolition. The old village core is heritage-flavoured, the slopes above are 1970s-90s family homes staying put.

Locals know: Streets in the Hills Face Zone need a BAL assessment for most new work.

What Nan's block does today

A typical Tea Tree Gully 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 Tea Tree Gully

How much did a house in Tea Tree Gully cost in the 1960s?+

Modelled on the Adelaide median of the day and Tea Tree Gully's current position relative to the city, a typical Tea Tree Gully house was around $9,400 in 1965, or about 3.4 years of an average full-time wage. In 2026 it is around $810,000, or about 8.1 years of wages. These are indicative figures, not sales records.

How much of Tea Tree Gully has been knocked down and rebuilt?+

Roughly 10% of today's homes in Tea Tree Gully 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 Tea Tree Gully like when it was built?+

The largest share of Tea Tree Gully (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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