With house prices soaring around the country, you would be hard-pressed to find real estate any cheaper – or with as much historical gravitas – as in Terowie.
The old railway town, which lies around 220 kilometres north of Adelaide, was founded back in the 1870s, during South Australia’s pioneering days.
The town is still home to dozens of historic stone cottages which date back to the late 19th century.
The cheapest property currently up for sale in Terowie is a four-bedroom stone house with an asking price of $150,000.
Real estate agent John Hogarth, from Raine and Horne in Two Wells, said the property on 55 Packer Street had a lot to offer.
There’s a good bathroom,” he said, but conceded the interior of the home needed “a bit of work”.
There’s a good bathroom,” he said, but conceded the interior of the home needed “a bit of work”.
It’s the best of the lot of them, right across the road from the old railway station,” Hogarth said.
“It’s a beautiful building, very sound, and you can get that for $200,000.”
Remote, but no ‘ghost town’
Terowie was once a bustling railway town of thousands.
The town acted as an important staging camp for allied forces during World War II.
A US general, Douglas MacArthur, is often cited as the town’s most famous visitor.
In 1942, MacArthur was changing trains in Terowie when he made a famous speech about the Battle of the Philippines, declaring, “I shall return”.
But one major change to the railway line caused the town’s population to shrink rapidly in the 1970s.
The broad gauge railway line was extended from Terowie to Peterborough, eventually leading to the station’s closure.
These days, there are just 135 people living in Terowie.
