Kingsford isn't a particularly nice area, but it is reasonably close to the city centre where her husband works and close to the public hospital where my niece had a fellowship at that time.Her husband works as a stockbroker, so no alternatives in the country and same went, at the time, for his wife furthering her career, although now she could utilise her occupation anywhere she chooses as it is in demand in large regional centres or cities.
A million was probably the cheapest you could pay for a house about then in the Eastern suburbs. They had also looked at Maroubra, a bit further out and I think Burwood, which they felt would be too far. We tried to get them to consider the Northern Beaches where you get much more for the same outlay and people are more laid back, but again the traveling is pretty stressful from here to the city and has been getting worse over time. I used to do it, but wouldn't want to now as more people get packed into Sydney. We still don't have a train line and there are only two points of access in and out of the area with a population around a qtr. million which is probably why it remains one of the more affordable areas, but with a nice quality of life if you can get work in the immediate area.
Regarding previous generations, some had it good. My great grandfather retired to Point Piper from his home in Central West NSW (that'd be worth mega bucks these days), although he was born on the goldfields at Mount Blackwood in Victoria where his father must have got his early capital after arriving as a free settler in 1852, before establishing a prosperous tannery in Melbourne, as too had other members of his family in England where they too had done very nicely.
Housing and land were dirt cheap back in the day. Rent was cheaper than bread at one time in Sydney's slums.
