Sydneysider’s drastic solution to housing crisis

Alys McDonough could no longer afford sky-high rents in Syndey so she bought a house for $12,500 in a WA town with a population of 1,000.

When all of Alys McDonough’s money was going on rent she knew she had to make a change.

The comedy producer went online and Googled “cheapest house in Australia”.

What came up was a $11,750 house in Norseman, a boom-and-bust town in WA at the edge of the Nullarbor.

She bought the house with a first home grant and $5000.

The house has a few things to be desired, it is not connected to grid power and the only running water is from a tap outside.

The house doesn’t have power or aircon and the only water supply is from a tap in the garden.

There is no aircon and temperatures in summer can reach $42C.

But Alys has a simple fix for that. She wets a muslin cloth in water and hangs it on her head and has another bucket of water for her feet.

Her rescue dog Fifi also gets a damp cloth for her head to keep her cool.

In 2012 she sold the house to give city life another go in Perth but decided to buy it back a year ago when she faced becoming homeless.

Alys says she’s thrilled not to have to pay a mortgage or power bills.

She spent all her savings on the property, buying it back for $12,500.

“Working a job or two jobs and all that money going on rent and other expenses, it’s not good for one’s mental health,” she told the ABC.

“When you don’t have to worry about all that stuff, there’s a lot of pressure that has been lifted.”

Alys uses portable solar panels, power batteries for power and often eats dehydrated meals.

She says she’s “thrilled” not to have to pay a mortgage or power bills.

She works from home, transcribing and selling items online.

“Power, not a problem. Money… if I could grow money by pointing a solar panel at the sky, I would love that,” she said.