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In a week when COVID-19 was three days from shutting down the country, the contestants somehow managed to deliver the best five bathrooms The Block has ever seen.

There wasn’t a bad decision among them, and the voting was as close as it’s ever been, and Scott Cam paid tribute to the contestants before delivering the judges’ verdict.

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He said after last year’s Block he had vowed to make things easier for future contestants.

“I promised myself we’d never do a Block that hard again, and here we are, doing a Block while the rest of the world goes to hell,” he says. “You’ve shown nothing but a fighting spirit all the way.”

Perhaps hardest hit were Sarah and George, who had the death of Sarah’s grandmother to cope with, as well as pre-ordering every tiny item needed for the rest of The Block build and creating their master ensuite.

Sarah and George’s efforts in a trying week scored them a perfect 10 from Neale Whitaker.

They were rewarded with their efforts with a perfect 10 from Neale Whitaker, and while it wasn’t enough to secure them the win, Sarah was chipper.

“I don’t give a s. t!” she says. “We got a 10!”

Their black bath, black trims and black fittings paired with blush pink subway tiles laid vertically alongside small white square tiles, white subway tiles laid horizontally and square floor tiles had the judges lauding their chutzpah in defying the cardinal rule of not having too many different tiles in a single space.

“It blends beautifully,” judge Shaynna Blaze says. “That’s what I love about design. When you are confident, you know the rules and can break them.”

Harry and Tash came a cropper with those rules during guest bathroom week, and while they’ve again chosen three different styles of tile, this time they did it right.

Their green vertically laid subway tiles have the judges oohing and aahing, and their skylight, black and brass fittings, double shower and elegant white basins and bath are declared perfect choices.

Four different tile choices didn’t harm Harry and Tash’s chances this week.

They lose marks for their shower screen not reaching the tile line. They made the same error last week but Harry didn’t think a 10cm shortfall would matter.

“Why would you do that?” a puzzled Shaynna asks.

Daniel and Jade’s ensuite is hidden behind wardrobe doors, and opens up to a Alice in Wonderland of matte marble floor tiles, matching gloss versions on the shower wall and an epic two walls of fiddly and hard to lay fish scale tiles which Daniel was dead against because of the toll he knew it would take on their tiler.

Other Block tilers told him they’d walk off the job rather than take on such a job, but it ended up being a master stroke, with the judges loving the choice.

They lose points for not choosing a longer vanity, when they had the room for one.

“I’ve got cosmetics for days and I like to spread them around,” Darren Palmer says.

Jimmy and Tam fixed their walk-in robe disaster by creating a separate ensuite.

Jimmy and Tam are on a mission to show the judges they listened to their harsh feedback from last week. They’ve closed the door in their walk-in robe and moved a wall to fix the problem of having their ensuite only accessible via a stroll through a bathroom.

They’ve chosen blush pink subway tiles, brass fittings, pink concrete basins, a vanity which matches their bed head and bedside tables, modern terrazzo floor tiles and skylights.

They only thing they don’t have is a bath, because their rejigged wardrobe doesn’t allow them enough space for one.

“If we didn’t have the others to compare to I would say this is a perfect size for a couple. If I was a buyer I would prefer a bigger walk-in robe than a bath in my ensuite because I can put a bath in the main bathroom,” Shaynna Blaze says.

They do lose points for not having appropriate over vanity lighting, but it’s a minor quibble easily fixed.

Luke and Jasmin finally score a win with their master ensuite.

Luke and Jasmin have pulled out all the stops to win this week.

They have a curved wall, circular skylight, $6000 black stone bath – which they chipped getting into the room – fluted shower screen and rolled brass fittings in their whopping 10.5 sqm room.

They say they’ve once again decided to go with their guts rather than the era of the home.

“I don’t know how 1910s it is,” Jasmin admits. “I wouldn’t call it a 1910s bathroom, I’d call it a bathroom that’s going to sell a house in Brighton.”

Luke and Jasmin’s curved wall circular skylight and rolled brass fittings impressed the judges.

Luckily, the judges don’t entirely agree.

“This is exceptional. They have given us a very modern bathroom but they have remained faithful to those period cues,” Neale Whitaker says.

One of their basins is too close to the shower screen, and the loo roll holder is in the wrong place, but other that than the judges can find little fault.

It’s going to be a close one, so Jimmy and Tam decide to use the bonus point they won last year, and Luke and Jasmin can’t conceal their disappointment. Last season a situation just like this nearly caused World War III to breakout, but this year their use of the point sees them tie for first place with Luke and Jasmin, so warfare is averted.

Tying for second place is Harry and Tash and Sarah and George, with Daniel and Jade coming last, with a score that would have seen them win in many other weeks.

Daniel and Jade came last, with an incredibly high score.

FINAL SCORES

1 – Luke and Jasmin 29

1 – Jimmy and Tam 29

2 – Harry and Tash 28.5

2 – Sarah and George 28.5

3 – Daniel and Jade 28

MISSED AN EPISODE?

Episodes 14, 15 recap: ‘D*** move’: Tensions rise as team dobs on another

Episode 13 recap: ‘Blockhead’s potty antics disgust Keith’

Episode 10-11 recap: The new Block rule that could ruin the season

Episode 9 recap: Favouritism allegations hit The Block

Episode 8 recap: Judges pull no punches on grieving Daniel and Jade

Episode 6-7 recap: Sack your builder: Keith slams ‘pathetic’ work

Episode 4 recap: Luke and Jasmin’s big stuff up

Episode 3 recap: “So two years ago”. Team’s boring room slammed

Episode 2 recap: Disappointment as Block houses are handed out

Episode 1 recap: Block 2020 tears start flowing early

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Albury Wodonga has been named a hot property market. Picture: Simon Dallinger

Albury-Wodonga has been named one of Australia’s hottest regional property markets, as buyers turn their attention away from major cities and towards the country.

Hotspotting expert Terry Ryder called the border town one of Australia’s “top five cheapies” and a regional hot spot for 2020/21 in two separate reports recently published.

He said the joint cities’ booming infrastructure projects had helped the area thrive through coronavirus.

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A modest house designed for living large in Albury

Aerial view across Albury. Picture: Simon Dallinger

The border twin city is divided by the Murray River. Picture: Simon Dallinger

“The area’s biggest employers are hospital and medical services … aged care … supermarkets and food, and they have been pumping in this period,” Mr Ryder said.

“And the military, which has been unaffected by the current situation.”

He said a huge “exodus to affordable lifestyle” was underway across Australia, with towns one to two hours from capital cities thriving as a result.

Infrastructure projects have boosted the economy. Picture: Simon Dallinger

The cities have been in the spotlight with the border closed to NSW during coronavirus. Picture: Simon Dallinger.

Buyer’s agent Lloyd Edge said the cities had been a “popular choice for Millennials” who were “priced out of the housing market” in Melbourne.

He said a thriving economy allowed for a food and music scene, museums, festivals and an outdoor lifestyle valued by young buyers.

“For investors, this is an attractive place to invest because of the strong Albury-Wodonga economy that produces approximately $7.2bn gross regional product,” Mr Edge added.

12 Partridge Way, Wodonga is for sale.

The four-bedroom home has a $599,000 price tag.

CoreLogic shows Albury’s median house price increased 16.6 per cent in the past two years to about $500,000.

“Alongside less than 1 per cent vacancy rates, you can see why many first-time investors are looking here to get a foot on the property ladder,” Mr Edge said.

Wodonga Real Estate director Mark Rosevear said the area has a “recession-proof economy” which was buoyed by employment opportunities in tourism, government and retail.

6 Fulford Street, Wodonga sold for $285,000.

The area has been praised for its affordability.

“We’re a more affordable destination than traditional regional centres like Geelong and Ballarat, because we’re just a little further away up the Hume Highway,” Mr Rosevear said.

“But that makes it an attractive proposition for an investor — with a very tight rental market our yields can be some of the best, up around 5-6 per cent.”

He said inquiry rates had spiked during the pandemic.

Land in Albury Wodonga has been selling fast since the HomeBuilder grant was announced.

This block in Dartmouth sold for just $25,000.

“It’s an extremely hot market at the moment, with land sales going through the roof due to the federal government’s $25,000 HomeBuilder grant,” Mr Rosevear said.

“Residential homes are selling very quickly at full price … Wodonga seems to be doing a lot better than Albury at this point in time due to affordability, but it’s also largely cheaper to build new homes under the Victorian Government.”

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Contact Cassandra at cassandra.glover@news.com.au

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791 Linton-Carngham Road, Snake Valley, has a regional address that could be heaven or hell, depending on how you feel about serpents.

A historic church is bringing a little mystery and a lot of buyers’ eyes to a small goldfields hamlet with a name some would call their idea of hell.

The former Welsh Methodist church at 791 Linton-Carngham Road, Snake Valley has been converted as a weekender with a rustic industrial vibe on the inside that’s piqued buyers’ interests — even though the town name has piqued their nerves.

Buxton Ballarat’s Brayden Dorney said he’d had to reassure a number of the 58 people who had inquired to date after they asked “why it is called Snake Valley”.

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While it was reputedly named by an 1850s gold miner who found snakes in a shaft he was sinking, today the town just west of Ballarat is better known for its general store, primary school and golf course.

And the Norman-style church’s $299,000-$325,000 asking price has been enough to get buyers from around Australia keen to visit the 2389sq m property, once the nation’s borders open up again.

The home’s interior is described as a blend of rustic and industrial.

“We have had calls from Queensland and New South Wales from buyers who are just hanging for us (Victoria) to finish our lockdown so they can cross the border and have a look,” Mr Dorney said.

“A lot of them are looking to upgrade it as a residence.”

Another part of the attraction is a chance to find out what remains inside the property’s sealed off belltower.

“It’s a bit of a mystery as to what’s up there,” Mr Dorney said.

“There could be a ladder up, or the old bell up there.”

The former church’s cathedral ceilings add character to the upper floor.

Whatever was found within, the tower would certainly offer an impressive view over the local countryside if the next owner was willing to install a way up there, he said.

The church became a local scout hall after it was sold off in 1996, and was converted to a two-bedroom residence about 15 years ago.

A time capsule set into its walls and a plaque added to the property when it was built in 1908 have also marked it as a historic site, with Heritage Victoria documents noting it as the state’s first building made using concrete blocks to form a hollow wall cavity.

It is also the second church built on the site.

It is expected the next owner will update the kitchen, which still has a wood-burning stove.

The current owner has used it as a getaway, and the floorplan currently features an open-plan living zone with a bedroom hidden behind a partition wall and the option of an additional one on a mezzanine level. The upper floor is a dedicated sleeping loft.

“It’s fairly rustic, but has an industrial feel as well — and even still has a wood-fired oven,” Mr Dorney said.

“It’s a bit tired these days, being more than 100 years old, and would benefit from some love — but it’s got some character.

“And it’s solid as a rock.”

The bathroom has a distinctly country vibe with exposed iron sheeting and a freestanding tub.

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The view of the estate from the Knightsbridge Parade East.

IT’S been seven years since Riccardo Rizzi placed the winning $5.3 million bid on a partly constructed Sovereign Islands estate.

Original owners Scott Tyne and Clare Marks had reportedly already outlaid $21.44 million on the initial construction and four blocks of land on Knightsbridge Parade East.

Their dream was to build a modern day 100-year-old chateau, designed by the renowned Brunei Royal Family architect Bayden Goddard.

Exterior photos of the unfinished residence in 2013. Picture: Williams Jerad

The sprawling Mediterranean masterpiece was taking shape on the best parcel of land facing due north down the Broadwater before the banks moved in.

Photos taken prior to the mortgagee auction in 2013 show weeds had started to take over the concrete structure which was still a long way off resembling a home.

It’s a daunting project for anyone to take over and one which Mr Rizzi has embraced without regret.

“Very few times in life you’re given a gift from heaven to do something and this project was mine,” he said.

“It was probably one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever done in my life.

“It was a combination of so many different skills that needed to be put together to do it.”

Riccardo Rizzi placed the winning bid at auction in 2013.

A civil engineer with a background in project management, Mr Rizzi took a methodical approach to organising the paperwork into folders and boxes – enough to fill an entire room – to get his head around the monstrous task ahead.

His first act was to pay the tradespeople and consultants what they were owed and rehire as many as possible.

“Virtually everyone was put on an hourly rate,” Mr Rizzi said.

“Come Friday I would do a bank run and everyone would get paid.

“People who didn’t meet the standard, didn’t make it to the following week so we did have a reasonable turn over.”

Some of those original tradesmen – including a carpenter and a tiler – have worked on the house since building began in 2008.

Detailed finishes inside the residence were completed by hand.

At the height of construction, there were 20 or more workers on site, with detailed finishes including herringbone timber flooring and marble stonework completed carefully by hand.

“I met a lot of good people, some fantastic tradesmen who were a privilege to work with,” said Mr Rizzi, who counts ‘after work beers’ among his fondest memories.

“Not many people are in a position to give up seven years of their life to complete a project. I got so much enjoyment from doing it.”

Hours of research were devoted to selecting the finishes and fixtures, including an original 4m high, 1.5 tonne bronze statue of Neptune, imported from Florence at an estimated cost of $400,000.

Mr Rizzi prefers to confine his use of the house to the kitchen.

That statue graces the entry foyer where a spectacular domelike cupola, thought to be the only one of its kind in an Australian residence, rises 14.5m over head.

Living in such a grand estate has been an experience in itself for the bachelor who occupies only a small area.

“When I say I live in the house, I live in the kitchen,” Mr Rizzi said.

“The kitchen is more than 100 sqm which is in fact the size of a three-bedroom apartment, so I’m more than comfortable.

“To go from the kitchen to the master bedroom suite, I think even Usain Bolt would take more than 10 seconds to run it.”

Mr Riccardo Rizzi outside the residence in 2015. Picture Mike Batterham

Profit was never the main driver for Mr Rizzi who hasn’t put a value on the cost of completing the estate, which has previously been listed for $45 million.

Amir Prestige has set an auction for October 17 as Mr Rizzi makes plans to move closer to his adult children in Perth.

The completed residence is a sight to behold.

But rather than revel in the success of seeing the project through, he’s quick to pass credit to those who laid the foundations.

“Scott Tyne had an inspiring vision to set this whole project up and no one can take that from him,” Mr Rizzi said.

“He should be a very proud man, alongside his wife, as they are talented and gifted people.

“I wish them well and am extremely grateful that this opportunity came about.”

Plans are already in the pipeline for another major project in Perth for Mr Rizzi, buoyed by the confidence of conquering an inconquerable dream.

“What I found when I did the house is that I’ve elevated myself to a level that when I see a challenge, irrespective of how complex it appears, it is in fact an accumulation of individual singular simple problems,” he said.

“Now I find that I can actually deal with things that might otherwise seem impossible.”

The completed residence at 26-34 Knightsbridge Parade East, Sovereign Islands.

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The Burnside home at 35 Royal Avenue looks like a historic mansion. Supplied: Martin Real Estate.

You could be forgiven for mistaking this Burnside home for a historic mansion.

Its grand facade and 19th century-style interior offer an old-world charm – but the home is actually less than 30 years old.

The four-bedroom house at 35 Royal Avenue, which is on the market, was built in 1993 by renowned Adelaide builder David Cheney.

Martin Real Estate director Colin Martin, who is selling the 1680sqm property, said the owners worked with Cheney to design the period recreation and spared no expense building it.

High ceilings and chandeliers make it feel grand inside. Supplied: Martin Real Estate.

The kitchen is complete with a marble island bench. Supplied: Martin Real Estate.

“They waited and waited for him to be available to do it,” he said.

“It looks like a small castle from the road because it has that turret look to it in the brickwork.

“Leading up to the property … it gives off a very stately feel.”

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Lofty ceilings, ornate arches, leadlight windows, parquetry flooring and detailed fireplaces are among the home’s grand character features.

One of its four bedrooms has a walk-in wardrobe, another has french doors that open to the side yard, and the master suite is complete with both a walk-in robe and an ensuite.

Leadlight windows give the home character. Supplied: Martin Real Estate.

It also has two fireplaces. Supplied: Martin Real Estate.

The heart of the home is an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area with chandeliers, quality wallpapers and an abundance of windows – including a bay window – that fill the home with natural light

The dining room opens to the garden at one side, and to a covered alfresco entertainment area at the other.

There’s also an arbour and a shed outside, among established landscaped gardens, covered parking for six cars and a cellar.

Mr Martin said the owners were selling the home, which is listed without a price tag, to downsize.

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Staging a property correctly can play a crucial role in its sale.

Stage four lockdown is the perfect opportunity to restyle your home in preparation for sale, in order to have the upper hand when the market reopens.

From a fresh coat of paint to simple spring cleaning, experts say simple tasks could help grab buyers’ attention.

Interiored interior designer Elissa Then said property styling should be seen as “an investment” that could hold the key to securing a sale.

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Thoughtful accessories like throws and cushions can provide a finishing touch.

“The most important tip is to clean, declutter, and depersonalise,” Ms Then said.

Removing personal items like family photos and trinkets should be first on the to-do list, she added.

“It helps buyers visualise their own items in the space,” she said.

“And it will open up the rooms to appear more spacious, and easier to walk through in open for inspections.”

Interiored interior designer Elissa Then.

While using a professional stylist was always recommended, vendors who chose to go it alone could perform simple tasks themselves, like painting walls a clean white, or upgrading small items like cushions and throws.

Undertaking projects like creating a feature wall for added drama could also make all the difference, and still be done on a budget.

Ms Then suggested going for a neutral palette with hints of colour.

Updating walls with natural colours is often a safe bet.

“Generally whites or soft greys are used for a timeless look,” she said.

”And add a touch of luxury to each room to get that designer look, with reflective objects and accessories that can help to give the illusion of a bigger room – think things like mirrors or candles.

“The key thing is to make the home look relatively new and comfortable to live in, so buyers will have a direct interest and emotional attachment to the property.”

Hiring a staging company, which would have modern furniture and artwork on hand, for part of the styling was another way to bring life back into a property.

From furniture layouts to paint colours, there’s a number of things to consider.

Vendor Marketing principal advisor Craig Knudsen said sellers should take a holistic view of their home’s presentation and avoid getting wrapped up in their own personal attachment.

He said it was crucial to maintain a home’s facade, which would likely be the hero image of the sales listing, so buyers got a strong first impression.

“When a buyer walks up to the front of a home, it’s got to be warm and inviting, and that needs to continue when they step foot inside,” Mr Knudsen said.

“If it’s contemporary home, it should have contemporary furniture.” The same principle applied for a heritage home, he said.

The vendor advocate said he had found a property’s styling could be the factor that got a buyer over the line.

If the home belongs to a specific era it’s important to be cohesive.

Sellers who made the most of their time in lockdown to prepare their home could reap the rewards once restrictions eased, he added.

“As more listings come up after lockdown, buyers will have more choice and might be more selective,” Mr Knudsen said.

“It’s going to be first in, best dressed, and styling is certainly going to be paramount,” he said.

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christina.karras@news.com.au

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11a Ormerod Court, Gisborne has come close to quadrupling in value in 20 years.

The old adage that Melbourne house prices double every 10 years has blown out.

Latest figures from realestate.com.au show at Melbourne’s current 4.8 per cent 10-year average growth rate, it would take a $750,000 median house 14 years to reach $1.5m.

And with COVID-19 set to drag down household incomes, it will become even longer, experts are tipping.

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Median house prices doubled in just 12 Melbourne suburbs over the past decade; the list dominated by Mornington Peninsula postcodes and former new housing estate suburbs.

SUBURBS THAT HAVE DOUBLED

Flinders: $785,000 (2010) – $2,472,400 (2020)

Fingal: $420,000 (2010) – $1.301m (2020)

Botanic Ridge: $270,000 (2010) – $720,000 (2020)

Rockbank: $250,000 (2010) – $610,000 (2020)

Tyabb: $375,000 (2010) – $892,500 (2020)

Waterways: $570,000 (2010) – $1.282m (2020)

St Andrews Beach: $492,500 (2010) – $1.095m (2020)

Beveridge: $279,250 (2010) – $590,000 (2020)

Eynesbury: $281,000 (2010) – $593,750 (2020)

Warneet: $287,000 (2010) – $603,000 (2020)

Diggers Rest: $263,500 (2010) – $538,500 (2020)

Cockatoo: $337,500 (2010) – $675,000 (2020)

Source: realestate.com.au

On the Mornington Peninsula, suburbs including Flinders and Fingal had home values come close to tripling in value due to a rapid shift in popularity, realestate.com.au chief economist Nerida Conisbee said.

“Flinders is like the new Portsea, when you look at the types of people moving down there and the types of houses being built — there’s definitely a bit of money flowing down to the area,” Ms Conisbee said.

Houses like 1859 Mornington Flinders Road, Flinders, aren’t what they used to be.

Ms Conisbee said regional cities and towns were the most likely to see prices double in the next 10 years, with significant appetite from Melbourne-based buyers already emerging outside the big smoke.

Kinglake, Kinglake West, Mount Macedon and Gisborne were among the towns just outside Melbourne to achieve the astonishing growth marker over the past decade.

The 11A Ormerod Court, Gisborne home of Rod Clough and his partner Leone Ramage is on track to quadruple since they bought it about 20 years ago.

Rod Clough and Leone Ramage are selling their Gisborne home of about 20 years for about four times what they paid for it. Picture: Mark Stewart

The pair are downsizing and were thrilled to have it listed at $890,000-$920,000.

“It’s as close to the city as Melton, but still has that country feel — and there are good schools,” Mr Clough said.

Further afield, Trentham, Kyneton, Ballarat Central, North Geelong and Malmsbury also had median property prices double.

Mr Clough said he had added the pool after watching the suburb’s prices rise.

Real Estate Institute of Victoria vice president Adam Docking said while one-time housing estate Botanic Ridge had also doubled, mature housing estate developments often benefited from one-off price jumps after local infrastructure was completed and land sales stopped.

Mr Docking said many Melburnians were still lulled into hoping prices would double every 10 years by fluctuations in Melbourne’s house price medians, which often surged rapidly.

“People just notice when they do shoot up,” he said.

“Everyone seems to sit there and say property prices double every 10 years, but right now they can’t — there can’t be exponential growth.”

Real Estate Buyers Advocates Association president Cate Bakos said the 10-year “rule” was a misconception, but it could be achieved with smart purchases.

Suburbs such as Glenroy could be in a position to have prices rise as a result of gentrification.

“Our ability to continue aggressive growth is based on wage growth,” Ms Bakos said.

“In the ‘50s we had one income households, in the ‘70s we started to see dual incomes with part time work … we are now in a position where there’s no real scope for that to continue. We are now at capacity for most two income households.”

She advised hunting in a suburb about to gentrify such as Glenroy and Reservoir, or one set to continue gentrifying, like Oakleigh, Preston, Chelsea and Footscray.

“If you know what you are doing and buy a great asset that’s placed for gentrification you will find a property that can double in 10 years,” Ms Bakos said.

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2 Ross Rd, Piccadilly. Supplied by Harris Real Estate

A Piccadilly home offers a grand entertainer’s lifestyle and is a hit with the native wildlife.

It’s owners, semi-retired property developer and builder Roger Langford, and Johanna Paddick, built the home in 1993, making it a one-of-a-kind property their family could enjoy throughout the different stages of their lives.

2 Ross Rd, Piccadilly. Supplied by Harris Real Estate

“My wife didn’t want any square rooms, so we’ve got high raked ceilings and the home’s set over a few different levels,” Mr Langford says.

“It’s had a few improvements since then and in the past few months we’ve rendered and put stonework on, polished floors and changed carpets and so on. It was pretty edgy when we built it and it was up for a few awards at the time. I’ll be sad to sell it because it’s been such a functional, comfortable and cosy place to be, with a lot of assets.”

2 Ross Rd, Piccadilly. Supplied by Harris Real Estate

The home has four bedrooms and a spacious home office with an inbuilt desk and shelving. There’s also a living area near the minor bedrooms, while the rest of the home comprises a large open-plan kitchen, dining and living area that opens out to a deck; and formal dining and lounge rooms. Outside, the property has a pool with a patio and pergola area and a pool house with a bar, a living area and a bathroom.

2 Ross Rd, Piccadilly. Supplied by Harris Real Estate

“We’ve had lots of good times around the pool and the pool house,” Mr Langford says.

“We had some big parties there and would have well over 100 people here – there have been lots of 16ths, 18ths, 21sts and so on and we’ve hosted lots of dinner parties. We get kangaroos and have deer in our driveway sometimes, and at my son’s 21st last year people were looking over the fence and astounded there were bandicoots in the paddocks next door and at the end of the night they were walking around trying to steal the food off people’s plates.

2 Ross Rd, Piccadilly. Supplied by Harris Real Estate

You can have horses here, and we’ve had sheep and cattle here to help keep the grass down. It’s a great family home and I’d think it’d be perfect for a family.”

Mr Langford says he’s proud of the home and will miss it, but it’s time for a change of scenery.

“I was born at Glenelg and have spent the past 40 years in the Hills and now I’m heading back down to the coast,” he says.

2 Ross Rd, Piccadilly. Supplied by Harris Real Estate

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2 Ross Rd, Piccadilly

$1.65 million

Agent: Harris Real Estate, Josh Biggs 0407 604 041, and Arabella Hooper 0403 336 407. Land size: 3.23ha. Auction: Wednesday, October 7 at 1pm.

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8B Romilly Street, South Hobart. Picture: SUPPLIED

RARELY seen in Hobart’s real estate market, this superbly presented, spacious family home, offers a country style of life across 8700sq m of land, but on Hobart city’s doorsteps — about 2.9km from the GPO.

The home has a flexible floorplan that caters for a large family, with options for working at home, too.

Formal and informal lounge areas, a large kitchen and family dining area, five bedrooms, three bathrooms — it ticks a lot of boxes effortlessly.

A parent’s retreat is attached to the main bedroom with walk-in wardrobes, an ensuite and built-in wardrobes.

Peaceful surrounds.

Family sized space.

Natural beauty.

Access to the upper deck is from the formal lounge, bringing the outside in, as well as from the family dining area and main bedroom. Each takes in glorious views.

The expanse of windows in the upstairs living areas provides spectacular sun from early morning to mid and late afternoon.

The bottom level deck provides a more secluded, tranquil entertainment area.

There is also a rumpus room, a large storage area with shelving and benched access under the house, a spacious garage including shelving for tools, and a separate storage area for wine.

Some of the extra bonuses that come with this great family home are the double glazed windows on the top floor, 4kW solar panels, plus a security system with sensors in several zones across both floors, which is currently monitored.

There is also a keyless and key front door entry.

Bathroom bliss.

Cook up a storm.

There are security screen doors on all single sliding screen doors and the downstairs bedroom windows have security screens attached.

There is ample carparking for guests, a storage room for a trailer and a garden shed.

When it is get-together time with family and friends, the wraparound sundecks will be the place to be.

South Hobart cafe, nearby schools, university and recreational spots all add to the enviable lifestyle.

The property borders on the Sandy Bay Rivulet where the sound of running water can put the owner in another world — how’s the peace and serenity?

For those that love nature, the property feels like a miniature forest with its plush greenery and visiting wildlife.

Light and bright.

View for days.

There is an enclosed area around the house for garden protection.

A 100 metres walk will take the owner to the beginning of the Pipeline Track, then the Waterworks Reserve and through Ferntree to Mount Wellington/kunyani.

This South Hobart acreage takes in views of the Derwent Estuary.

No.8B Romilly Street, South Hobart is listed with EIS Property at “Offers over $975,000”.

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