Shire Dad Suggests Adult Child ‘Just Buy Something Small’ - Means Waterfront Home Purchased in 1989.

Isla Cove | Property Editor | Sutherland Shire Gazette

15 January 2026

A local father has reassured his adult child that buying property in the Sutherland Shire is “absolutely doable,” citing the modest starter home he purchased in 1989 -  located on the Port Hacking waterfront and worth slightly more than the combined GDP of the child’s friendship group or  small European nation.

“We didn’t have much when we started,” the father said, standing on a deck that did not exist when he bought the property but now overlooks Port Hacking and emotional reality.

According to sources, the advice was delivered kindly, confidently, and without irony, shortly after explaining that young people “just need to be patient.”

The adult child nodded respectfully while calculating how many lifetimes of saving would be required to replicate the same “starter” experience - even without the renovations, jetty, or hindsight.

Attempts to explain population growth, wage stagnation, or why a one-bedroom unit in Miranda now costs more than their parents’ entire street once did were politely acknowledged, then gently dismissed.

“We had high interest rates,” the father reminded them - a point experts confirm is always raised without mentioning the house only cost three times his salary at the time.

The conversation ended amicably when everyone agreed that “it’ll work itself out,” followed by an offer of leftovers and a reminder to “keep saving.”

The child drove home in silence, past streets they once rode bikes on, now priced firmly beyond nostalgia.