<\/p>\n
The Block will head to Jacksons Hill in Sunbury for 2027, with longtime host Scott Cam returning for the show\u2019s ambitious heritage restoration. Picture: Nine<\/p>\n
The Block will turn three heritage buildings at Sunbury\u2019s former psychiatric hospital into five family homes for its most ambitious season yet.<\/p>\n
Channel 9 has acquired the buildings at Jacksons Hill from the Victorian government for the renovation reality TV juggernaut\u2019s 23rd season in 2027.<\/p>\n
The Herald Sun understands contestants will work across Buildings 1, 2 and 3 on the eastern side of the former Victoria University campus.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Block stars caught in late-night photo scandal<\/a><\/p>\n Block star\u2019s luxe Vic home just got $250k price cut<\/a><\/p>\n $2m rip off: Ch9 blows up over Portelli\u2019s Block home<\/a><\/p>\n A Victorian Planning Authority study identifies them as the former Female Infirmary Ward, Female Admission and Special Wards building, and former hospital.<\/p>\n But one of the biggest questions remains under wraps: exactly how three former institutional buildings will become homes for five separate teams.<\/p>\n Nine has described plans to produce \u201chigh-quality and aspirational family homes\u201d, with the series returning to major heritage restorations after two years of new builds.<\/p>\n The Sunbury move will send contestants into buildings a world away from the purpose-built luxury homes that have become synonymous with The Block.<\/p>\n The historic Jacksons Hill precinct in Sunbury will become the new home of The Block after Channel 9 acquired three heritage buildings from the Victorian Government.<\/p>\n Contestants will face a very different renovation challenge inside the heritage buildings, with five teams ultimately creating five family homes. Picture: Nine<\/p>\n A 2017 adaptive reuse study gives an insight into the scale of the challenge.<\/p>\n Building 1, the former Female Infirmary Ward, contained large rooms of about 70-130sq m across one level and was assessed at the time as being in reasonable condition.<\/p>\n Building 2, the former Female Admission and Special Wards, had smaller rooms around a central spine across two levels and was considered difficult to adapt and in poor condition.<\/p>\n Building 3, the former hospital, had larger rooms across a single level and was considered more flexible and in reasonable condition.<\/p>\n Those assessments were made almost a decade ago and do not establish the buildings\u2019 condition today.<\/p>\n Scott Cam will return alongside Shelley Craft as The Block swaps purpose-built luxury homes for a major heritage restoration in 2027. Picture: Nine.<\/p>\n Prominent Melbourne buyers advocate and Property Investment Professionals of Australia chair Cate Bakos said Sunbury\u2019s outer-fringe location made it an unusual test for the prestige property formula traditionally associated with the show.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s got a tight town centre, but it\u2019s not a high-income area in the town centre,\u201d Ms Bakos said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s charming and it\u2019s definitely got its own style, and I don\u2019t dislike Sunbury at all.<\/p>\n \u201cBut in an outer-fringe area, it\u2019s a most unusual move for The Block.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Bakos said Nine\u2019s promise of \u201caspirational\u201d homes meant the land and wider property offering could prove just as important as the renovations themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cTo bring an aspirational family to Sunbury, it would need to be on a larger allocation of land than a tight suburban outer-fringe block,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would need to be a special property, not just a special dwelling.\u201d<\/p>\n PIPA chair Cate Bakos said the Sunbury homes would need to offer buyers more than just a high-end renovation to succeed.<\/p>\n Ms Bakos said substantial gardens and car accommodation could help broaden the finished homes\u2019 appeal.<\/p>\n \u201cTo bring aspirational buyers, I think they\u2019ll need to have more on offer than just the house,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to see how big the parcels are going to be because I think they need to be more generous than anything The Block has seen previously.\u201d<\/p>\n The reality television makeover will add another chapter to Jacksons Hill\u2019s long institutional history.<\/p>\n Jacksons Hill began as the Sunbury Industrial School in the 1860s before later becoming an asylum, psychiatric hospital and university campus. Picture: State Library of Victoria<\/p>\n The site began as the Sunbury Industrial School in the 1860s before being redeveloped as an asylum in 1879 and substantially expanded through the following decades.<\/p>\n Heritage records say the site remained in use as a psychiatric hospital before becoming the Caloola Training Centre between 1968 and 1992.<\/p>\n Victoria University later occupied part of Jacksons Hill before the Victorian Government purchased the former university site in 2018.<\/p>\n The government-backed master plan divided the 33ha former university property into nine precincts and provided for housing alongside the preservation and reuse of heritage buildings.<\/p>\n M R Advocacy director Madeleine Roberts questioned who the eventual buyers would be for The Block\u2019s unusual Sunbury homes.<\/p>\n M R Advocacy buyers advocate Madeleine Roberts also questioned the depth of demand for high-end converted homes at Jacksons Hill.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe they\u2019re going to move away from that high-end, trendy vibe, but is there a market there? I wouldn\u2019t think so,\u201d Ms Roberts said.<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019s gonna buy those? What are they doing?\u201d<\/p>\n Nine has not revealed what it paid the Victorian Government for the three buildings or how they will ultimately be divided into five separately marketable homes.<\/p>\n Longtime hosts Scott Cam and Shelley Craft have been confirmed to return.<\/p>\n However, the Herald Sun understands none of the 2026 judging panel has yet been confirmed for next year.<\/p>\n Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and real estate agent Marty Fox make up the current Mt Eliza judging trio.<\/p>\n And the five new teams will not be the only Blockheads picking up the tools at Jacksons Hill.<\/p>\n Returning all-stars will tackle a sixth renovation \u201cover the fence\u201d for The Block: The House Next Door, a new spin-off premiering on Stan in 2027.<\/p>\n Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here <\/a>to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox.<\/p>\n MORE: \u2018Sucking farts\u2019: Block star\u2019s furious outburst<\/a><\/p>\n The bizarre local feature that adds $237k to home values<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n