The finale for the 2024 season of The Block will air at 7.00pm, on Sunday November 10. After months of transforming an abandoned resort into luxurious holiday homes on Phillip Island, The Block is drawing to a close. Final touches are being added to the stunning coastal residences designed by architect Julian Brenchley in anticipation of auction day.
With all five houses in Phillip Island set to go under the hammer this week, here’s everything you need to know in the lead-up to auction day for the Block’s 20th season.
The Block auction will air at 7.00pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
The finale week started at 7.30pm on November 4, with teams building the clubhouse with help from past Block contestants. The winning team of this space will get a massive $50,000 taken off the reserve price on auction day this Sunday.
The median price for a four-bedroom home in Cowes is $817,000, while a five-bedroom home is $1.09 million. The majority of properties on this season of The Block are five-bedroom, with the exception of houses 1 and 2, which are four-bedroom. Despite this difference, they are all selling with a price guide of $1.7 million to $1.85 million.
There has been no public indication as to whether Block auction regulars and heavy hitters Danny Wallis and Adrian Portelli plan to continue their spending spree, but they did appear at the Domain Listings and Buyers Jury challenge, alongside buyer’s advocate Frank Valentic, to vote for their favourite home.
However, there’s a new challenger preparing to throw their hat into the ring this year. Tom Ormerod and Ollie Howard, co-founders of Paradoor, plan to bid on auction day on behalf of a syndicate of buyers.
Come auction night, we’ll see some new faces call the shots. Meet the agents marketing each of the five properties:
House 1: Maddy and Charlotte have enlisted Krystal Chandler, Kristina Walters and Kellie Morgan of OBrien Real Estate – Judith Wright.
House 2: Courtney and Grant have signed on Ray White Phillip Island, with Yvette Tancheff, Sam Clark and Marcus Baker spearheading the campaign.
House 3: Ricky and Haydn are marketing their home through Ray White Sunbury, with Aaron Hill, Amber Formosa and Jon Taylor at the ready. Hill got winning results for Omar and Oz in 2022 and Steph and Gian in 2023.
House 4: Kylie and Brad have locked in local agent Chris Price from Alex Scott & Staff Phillip Island, who’ll be working in conjunction with Josh Stirling of McGrath. Stirling is no stranger to Block auctions, having taken Mitch and Mark to victory in 2021.
House 5: Kristian and Mimi will be selling through Stockdale & Leggo Phillip Island with the assistance of Jaime Morris, Camille Morris and Josh Dunstan.
Known for its natural beauty and home to the world-famous penguins and the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, the popular holiday destination is a cruisy two-hour drive or 140 kilometres south of Melbourne’s CBD.
Connected to the mainland via a bridge, Phillip Island’s main town is Cowes, where The Block’s luxe holiday homes are nestled in a former holiday resort set on a hectare of land. Property records show the Island Cove Villas at 113-119 Justice Road was bought in September 2023 for $8.76 million and boasted nine dwellings, a full-size tennis court, two spas and a swimming pool.
The charming coastal town of Cowes is known for its welcoming atmosphere and hosts beautiful sandy beaches with calm waters safe for children, with some gnarly surf nearby. The beachfront promenade takes in Western Port, which is popular with walkers, water sports enthusiasts, and for picnics. There’s plenty to do with cafes, restaurants and a range of attractions nearby, including the penguin parade and a koala conservation centre.
Sydney sisters Maddy and Charlotte are the youngest team to ever compete on The Block but are among the most experienced renovators. Having grown up watching The Block, the pair dropped everything to join the series after engaged WA couple Jesse and Paige abruptly quit after four weeks. The sisters – experienced property flippers – have taken out room-reveal wins for the guest en suite in week seven and, two weeks later, drew with Ricky and Haydn for the office and rumpus room reveals.
Married couple Courtney and Grant promised to bring modern Mediterranean style – aka “Moditerranean” – to their home, drawing experience from building and styling their home in Sydney. Despite not having a load of renovation expertise, they held their own and took out multiple wins. It wasn’t long before the pair notched up a perfect score for their main en suite in week three and another for one of the most important rooms in the house – the main bedroom – in week five, in a season-first tie with Kristian and Mimi. They also won the guest bedroom and laundry in week 10, with a score of 29.5, after using a point penguin from an earlier challenge to notch them above their closest competition.
Fan favourites and best mates for 20 years, the loveable larrikins from Victoria started with little renovation experience and struggled to get a decent score on the board, trailing far behind other contestants for a number of weeks. Ricky and Haydn brought strong construction skills and a practical approach to renovations. They scored a $50,000 cash injection by winning this year’s Domain Listings Challenge by one vote, with 29 out of 100 prospective buyers selecting their “fun” home as their favourite house.
Controversial couple Kylie and Brad from Cairns are known for their vibrant personalities and strong designs. After plenty of harsh criticism from the judges, the pair hit their stride in week six, taking out a win for one of the most important rooms – the kitchen – and again, a couple of weeks later, in the living and dining room week, scoring a near-perfect 29.5.
Renovating the only two-storey house on The Block this year, Kristian and Mimi started off strong, with attention to detail and artistic flair shining through from the get-go. The South Australian newlyweds snatched their first room-reveal win for their guest bathroom in week one, following it up with a second win for their guest bedroom in week two. The pair notched up a third win for their guest bedroom in week four. But, in week nine, the pair had an epic fail, with a score of just 12.5 for their office and rumpus rooms.