By Laura Michell
Renovating a house in the picturesque town of Gisborne is a dream come true for Hume couple Tom and Sarah-Jane.
The couple dreamed of making a tree change prior to COVID, with Gisborne one of their destinations of choice.
But as regional property prices began to soar as Melburnians increasingly fled from the city to the country. Tom and Sarah-Jane found themselves priced out of the market.
“We couldn’t save at the rate prices were rising,” Tom says.
When the couple learnt Channel Nine’s The Block was filming in Gisborne this year, they jumped at the chance to apply.
“Sarah-Jane did the application in the hope of making some money to put towards moving to the country,” Tom says.
Tom, a plumber, and Sarah-Jane renovated their own house during COVID, while expecting their daughter, Cleo (now 16 months).
Tom says the success of their home reno project – “We’re still married,” he says – gave them the confidence to apply for the show.
He said he enjoyed the show more than he thought he would, despite 39 days of rain and temperatures as low at minus six.
“The first bathroom we did was tough,” Tom says.
“From there, it got better for us and we worked out The Block processes.
“Hallway and living rooms weeks were all-nighters, but there weren’t as many as we thought.”
He says while being away from Cleo was hard – she celebrated her first birthday while the were filming – knowing she was waiting for them back home gave them the drive and motivation to give the show their all.
“I’d do The Block again in a heartbeat and I said that throughout,” Tom says.
“We were building our dream home, in our dream area, with someone else’s money.”
