Meet the colourful residents of Sydney's 'suicide towers'
One resident narrowly escaped a mass murderer, another prefers parrots over people for company and a third is a a retired conman who just wants to be left alone to enjoy some of the best inner-city views in Sydney. Welcome to Northcott towers, Sydney's most notorious housing commission complex tucked away in what has become one of Australia's trendiest and most exclusive suburbs. About 1,200 residents pay as little as $80 a week for one- or two-bedroom units in the 14-story buildings in Surry Hills, just a stone's throw from the CBD where average rents for a two- bedroom home run to more than $900 a week. Known as the 'suicide towers,' the complex is Australia’s largest single block of public housing units and has a notorious reputation involving with drug abuse, mental health and unemployment. Invited by members of the tight-knit community of residents, Daily Mail Australia spent a day in the towers to 'meet the family' and explore the colourful neig...