You know you've been in one place for too long when all the people you befriended in those heady days just after your arrival have since moved on which, given my age and theirs, means metaphorically rather than geographically.
More recently, it's been mainly geographically, as people we got to know later have cashed in on the booming real estate market and moved on. Received wisdom suggests that Australian real estate prices double every ten years (give or take a couple of years on either side), but the last years have thrown those established averages out of the window.
Those nice Hush Puppy people across the river, whom we first met through their basset hound and then got to know through shared interests and him having also lived in South Africa, have decided to sell up after just four years. Without having spoken to them, I don't know if they are selling their house at 6 Currowan Street, which they bought just four years ago for $460,000, because it may now fetch $800,000.
I had better keep an eye on the advertisement, as I want to say my good-byes to their lovely Hush Puppy basset hound before they leave.
P.S. And if you think this is crazy, take a look at 139 Gympie Terrace, Noosaville, QLD 4566: bought in 2022 for $2,540,000, it was sold again in 2024 for $3,200,000 - click here. You couldn't make this stuff up!
