Port Lincoln man Damien Little battled his inner demons for three years before taking his life and the lives of his two small boys, his family has revealed.
Over that time his relatives and close friends noticed a change in his personality as the 34-year-old was slowly defeated by his mental illness.
Early on Monday, Mr Little drove his car off the main wharf in the Eyre Peninsula town and into 30 metres of water, killing himself and his two sons, 10-month-old Hunter and Koda, four.
"Over the past three years he had a bit of a problem, we had noticed a change," his mother Sue told the Adelaide Advertiser.
"We tried to help him, we all did. But you can't help somebody who can't help himself."
The revelations of Mr Little's troubled life came as others who knew him described him as an "everyday Australian bloke" who was respected and well liked.
"It's just a shocking thing to have happen out of the blue and for no reason that we knew of," Wheatsheaf Hotel owner Peter Watherston said on Tuesday.
"He and his brother used to pop out for a beer. He was just a normal, everyday Australian bloke."
South Australian Commissioner for Victims' Rights Michael O'Connell said the heart-wrenching incident had caused anguish for the family and friends.
But he also urged everyone not to rush to blame Mr Little, even those who might find murder by a parent to be among the "cruellest of tragedies".
"We do not know the reasons Damien did what he appears to have done and speculating helps neither the family nor the people of Port Lincoln," he said.
Port Lincoln Mayor Bruce Green said the past 24 hours had been the worst day of his working life.
"This has taken everyone by surprise. It's a dreadful thing," he said.
"People are really trying to understand how this tragic event could have occurred."
As well as tributes on social media, locals have created a makeshift memorial of flowers and teddy bears along the edge of the wharf.
Mr Little's relatives visited the site on Tuesday as police released two family photos which appeared to show a happy couple and their children.
In one, Mr Little and his wife Melissa are sitting on a beach with their two smiling young boys resting in their laps.
* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78
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