As a measure of the floor space of an Australian house, how large is a "square"?

Q : Being a generation X, some of the terminology used in the building/real-estate industries has stumped me! I've always wanted to know what does a "square" mean when used as a measurement of a house size? How big is the traditional "quarter acre block"? What are the approximate metric equivalents to acres, chains, links and feet? Can you help? W Nelson, Port Adelaide

A : One traditional building "square" is a pre metric term for 100 imperial square feet (example a 10 foot x 10 foot room). This converts to approximately 9.29sqm. One acre is approximately 4040sqm so a traditional 'quarter acre block' is approximately 1000sqm. The average block size in new estates is now 600sqm; some blocks are even less! 2.5 acres = one hectare, one chain (22 yards) = 20 metres, one rod = 5.03 metres, one link = 201mm, one foot = 305 mm.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/property/home-magazine/the-cost-of-building-per-square-metre/story-e6frefeu-1111118778821