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House Hunters International S201E05 Artist's Haven Down Under
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00:00so how are you feeling about leaving London oh my god a couple I knew it was going to be a big
00:07change this is my really good friend summer summer's an artist and she's moving to Alice
00:11Springs this remote town in the center of the outback is an artist's haven what is it it's a
00:18shipping container summer is like Alice in Wonderland she's gone down the rabbit hole
00:22how do you feel about sharing a bathroom with a male flatmate but small-town life in Australia
00:27is drastically different from the London she's used to there's dingoes there's snakes there's
00:32birds of prey this is the outback no one around no one to hear me scream what could possibly go wrong
00:46oh my god seven years you're finally here I'm summer and I'm from the northeast of England oh
00:56my god I'm so tired oh my god 26 hours my friend Anna who I met at university 12 years ago we've been
01:04friends ever since she moved to Alice Springs seven years ago look at you in your little adventure car
01:10oh my god summer and I met at art school in London and we studied together on a painting degree for
01:15three years and we had the best time over there you're not in London anymore summer I know I can
01:20see the sun Anna is a tour guide it's nice to have her she she obviously knows the area really well I
01:27think Alice Springs will be a challenge for summer for sure um it's a challenge for everybody in some
01:31way or another I'm gonna need some sun cream on yes it's definitely a slower pace of life but I think
01:36someone's gonna love it there's a lot of opportunity here for artists summer was intrigued but had to
01:41give up money for the move while living in super expensive London oh my god a couple so it's taken
01:47me seven years to convince summer to move to central Australia with me but what this place has to offer
01:52is just so special simultaneously life in London has just got more hectic I think it's a breaking point
02:00and I've just I've flipped and like right I'll move I'll do it so now's the time I have had to give
02:05up a job in one of the top art galleries in London I've worked my way up the ranks and it's a lot to
02:13give up but sometimes you need to just know when to call it a day we draw a lot of artists to Alice
02:22Springs because of that the natural beauty of the landscape and in particular the light driving in
02:27from the airport I was overwhelmed by the landscape you kind of drive through a big gap in the ranges to
02:35get through to the town from the airport you bring all your tour groups here I sure do alrighty we've
02:42got to get some selfies oh my god I can't believe you're finally here we've got the art hub in the
02:48centre of town where it's full of galleries tourism is a huge industry in Alice Springs we've got walking
02:55trails camel rides welcome to Alice Springs summer no I don't have a job lined up I'm hoping to find
03:01something arts and culture adjacent but whatever form that will take I don't know I'm just living off
03:08savings at the moment and I'm just gonna have to make something work I've got a really really great
03:14friend I'm a real estate agent called Tony who I think is going to do a great job of finding her the
03:19perfect spot everyone does know everyone in Alice Springs we are very close-knit it's already spread
03:26around town there's an English girl here it's direct from London welcome to Alice Springs oh thank
03:31you you're going to love it here we have a lot of artists that come here to do a little tour and end
03:36up staying a lifetime yeah what are you looking for so I want to feel like I'm in the desert ideally I'd
03:44like to live by myself yes I've done the whole London flat share thing one bedroom I'd like some space
03:51to make art I'm working purely with savings at the moment and so thousand dollars a month is what
03:57I'm working with keeping costs down is pretty important to me with your budget though we may
04:02have a look at something as a share house type of situation just to reduce your costs so how are you
04:10feeling about leaving London and coming to smack bang in the middle of Australia well that ship has sailed
04:17really I'm here I think the temperature is definitely going to get to her once it warms up the flies will
04:24become a problem we're even closer to the beautiful mountains again much close I can't believe that Mount
04:31John's is a relatively new suburb of Alice Springs has these beautiful views of both the Western and
04:37Eastern MacDonald ranges a lot of people live here are very art focused yeah I can see why it's an amazing
04:43landscape to be surrounded by would it be to myself absolutely Wow this one's two bedrooms one
04:49bathroom okay so you do have an additional bedroom for your art studio or if need be if you want to get
04:56a roommate and how much a month is this this is eleven hundred dollars I could share with someone to bring
05:03the cost down a little bit would I want to share with someone there's a different question tada look at
05:08all of this natural light in here I love the geometric shapes of the ceiling summer loves the angle of
05:15the ceiling I don't quite get it myself it's just a ceiling it looks amazing has it just been done yes
05:22it has it's so bright I absolutely love the windows as well and the the lovely color orange tile and this
05:29is perfect to have all my like messy art supplies over here as you can see it is brand new kitchen as well
05:37looks great very open so you can chat with your guests while you're preparing yeah it's a perfect
05:43little setup it's everything that you need it's nice and compact nice and clean so have a look
05:49through this bedroom as you can see the nice new carpeting underfoot cozy built-in robes over there
05:55oh my goodness it's huge I could live in there a big elephant in the room there's no furniture the
06:04furniture was just removed while they were painting and renovating the property this comes with a full
06:09furniture package will it just be here when I move in absolutely I was worried she was trying to give me
06:14the moving to the middle of the bush with nothing but a backpack on my back so down the hallway here to
06:19the left hand side we have the bathroom oh my goodness it's huge I've never had a bathroom this
06:26big in all of the tiny flats that I've lived in in London I didn't think that houses like this would
06:31exist here I expected to look out and just see sand everywhere and dingos and wallabies hopping around
06:39but this is a lovely little suburban area let's go see the other bedroom yeah come on this way great space
06:46yeah huge the fantastic view of the Eastern Macdonald ranges and another massive wardrobe this is unheard
06:54of in London and extra storage here as well oh my god for all my pottery creation yes yeah cute the
07:01thing that I'm doing at the moment mostly is making small ceramic sculptures silly little paintings with
07:07bright colors for no other purpose than just to make people happy and give people a little laugh okay so
07:13here's the backyard it's huge wow I've never had a garden let alone one this big and never with a
07:21view like this as well I can't believe that that's stunning the house itself is amazing it does make me
07:28worry that I'm stretching myself a bit too far with the money that I have to spend and then finding a
07:34flatmate finding a job is a little bit much to take on before moving here Tony's exceeded the wish list on
07:40this one but she's also exceeded my price range I fear that that might be an ongoing theme price is
07:48summer's number one concern so Tony heads out of town where are we so this is rural living at its
07:54finest you could say that again what is it London artist summer is joining her old art school friend Anna in
08:04Australia to find inspiration in the picturesque art Haven of Alice Springs as a kid I've just always
08:11been creative and I moved to London for university I studied fine art after I graduated I just got sucked
08:18into working straight away just get into whatever job you can you try and make ends meet and before you
08:24know it seven years have passed so taking your paint straight onto the page don't think too much
08:31about it I needed to be pushed to change very much sink or swim situation that's why I'm here a little
08:38bit different to London hey I can't imagine seeing light like this in the city centre I've saved up a
08:43fair bit to keep me going for a few months but other than that I've pretty much just turned up with one
08:50suitcase it doesn't bring you back to the art school there it so does I haven't used watercolors
08:54for about ten years I've done a lot of thinking about it it wasn't a decision I took lightly you
09:00just need to stand at the edge of the cliff and hope that you fall well I've never been to anywhere
09:07like this yeah this is a big change from London summer's main concern is living off her limited savings
09:13until she finds a job so the next place is tailored to ease that worry but there are other concerns
09:19so we're entering into Cannellon now this is a rural suburb of Alice Springs we are 12 minutes out of
09:27town do you have a vehicle no I don't it looks a bit remote suddenly I've become very aware that I've
09:34only just met this woman she seems pretty nice but she's driving me down a dirt track in the middle of
09:39the bush in Australia and I can't see anyone for miles around so here we are this guy yeah what do
09:47you think oh it's a unusual it's not brand spanking new shiny but it's got all the amenities that she
09:55will need where are we so this is rural living at its finest you can say that again this is a one
10:03bedroom one bathroom totally off-grid so no electricity bill because you're on solar it's
10:08also got bore water here you can live on your own beautiful environment to get your artistic juices
10:14flowing here and how much is it this is $800 per month this feels like very much right slap bang
10:21in the middle of the bush she's just adjusting to the absolute peace and quiet out here this
10:28it will be your courtyard so this is your own private space here I would have fun yeah this
10:34is interesting all of the metal work around to have the reference to the use of the land as a cattle
10:39station that was really interesting it's just a bit unusual isn't it quirky some might say and what
10:45you think of oh my god what is it it's a shipping container okay it's pretty different to the trendy
10:52East London shipping containers but the price is also not comparable so I'm interested to see what
10:58this gets you because it looks a lot bigger and a lot more rustic rustics one of those words that people
11:03know what you mean but you can say it in a polite way like when you say that something is cozy or quaint
11:10just around to your right hand side is the bedroom okay yeah it's very rustic it's going to be the
11:19word of the day there's no storage or anything at all and bathroom through here yeah I like the
11:28checky floor and um this is a shower yes this is why we're moving here we're moving for a change I
11:36knew it was going to be a big change but it's different seeing it with my own eyes so this is
11:41your rustic kitchen with a fabulous view yeah I always like a sink that you can look out of a
11:48window when you're doing your washing up so that's ideal then you've got your dining space here lounge
11:53room down there all of the furniture comes with the property the only thing is a space to have a
11:59little artistic setup but I guess we could have that here and you've got the front courtyard as well
12:04it'll take some getting used to but I've lived in stranger places life in London throws lots at
12:11you that you just have to kind of duck and dive and deal with mind your step wow so this space is
12:20yours as well you've got a little storage shed here for your supplies it's stunning the skull is amazing
12:27that used to be a cow summer is like Alice in Wonderland she's gone down the rabbit hole basically it's
12:33only 12 kilometers from town okay it's coming $200 under your price range you're totally off grid here
12:39so there's no power bills no water bills I definitely need a car it maybe doesn't make the price as
12:44appealing I see what you were going for I can see the artistic dream right here the space itself I could
12:51work with but I can't see anyone around I wanted to feel like I was in a community but have my own space
12:58this property may be a little bit too far out of the box for summer as this is the outback I expected
13:06to see a few more people around so it's back to town for comfort and community you've got local
13:11supermarket very quiet and safe neighborhood but how do you feel about sharing a bathroom with a male flatmate
13:18we've got art galleries galore and there's even a ton of street art this is by or by local artists
13:29creativity just seems to be embedded here you can't walk down the street without seeing art someone
13:35making art someone talking about art so this is central craft it's huge every decision that I've
13:41taken up to this point has been to get closer to being involved in art so this is a big risk but at
13:48the same time Alice Springs is the artistic cultural hub of Australia so I'm sure I'll find somewhere
13:56here hey Kiana hey hi how are you good how are you going good this is my really good friend summer
14:03nice to meet you nice to meet you so summer's an artist and she's moving to Alice Springs you don't
14:09happen to know of any jobs going to you it's nice to have that one person that you know is in your
14:15corner especially when you have no plans because nothing can go wrong everything can go right and
14:22you just don't need to worry about it it's all going to work out I feel that you feel a little bit
14:29remote yeah definitely I expected to see a few more people around we're heading back towards town now
14:35which fills me with a little bit more hope that I won't just be stuck in a remote desert land somewhere
14:43with no one around no one to hear me scream okay so I've got a house it does come with a housemate
14:50Neil who lives there is a fantastic person he's got a couple of dogs oh how do you feel about dogs love
14:57them we're in Lara Pinta now which is a suburb of Alice Springs it's only a short drive to town you've
15:04got local supermarket very quiet and safe neighborhood got beautiful views of Mount
15:08Gillen yeah I saw them coming in three bedrooms only one is available to you one bathroom okay and how
15:14much is this one this one is spot-on $1,000 per month perfect but this front landing area is beautiful
15:22you've got the lovely lawn here sit here in the afternoon have a look at the view from here just have a
15:27look at it oh my god hi Neil hello come on in I want to introduce you to summer nice to meet you
15:41here's our two other housemates hopefully I've never had a dog before I've always wanted one but with the
15:48size of flats in London and not having access to a garden I've never felt right getting a dog I
15:54where are you from London I've only been here a week so I'm still having a look around are you
16:00from here originally from Sydney you've been here just about a year now you want to see that room
16:04yeah yeah come on over all right so here is the room thank you it's really big it's huge yeah very
16:13big isn't it yeah well I'm gonna leave you girls to it I'm gonna go take the dogs for a walk okay nice to
16:19meet you beds huge does it come furnished yes it does kind of furnish yeah I'm excited to see the
16:25rest of it let's go yeah so these two bedrooms over here they're for Neil but here's the bathroom over
16:31here have a look through separate toilet that's good yeah oh yeah it's a nice sized bathroom how do
16:37you feel about sharing a bathroom with a male flatmate I've lived in some student share houses with some very
16:43very messy people yeah it doesn't seem like that's gonna be a problem here so go this way and we can
16:49check out the living spaces so as you can see we've got a really great sized lounge area over here I'd
16:54like to have a separate area that I can have my supplies there and have it as a separate little
17:00art space so I'm just gonna have to make something work flowing through to the kitchen in here yeah it
17:07seems nice and clean the views are amazing like the the red mountains up there absolutely
17:13outstanding I love all the palm trees so overall feelings on this one I love the place Neil seems
17:22so sweet but I just don't know whether I want to move in with someone again it would feel like a bit
17:29of a regression she may not want to share so that may be a barrier to this property there's no place
17:34for a little art studio but I'm kind of torn with the space and the dogs and it's just I can see the
17:41life here but if it was just for me it would definitely be their life I haven't got a gauge
17:47whatsoever which way she's leaning to so it's gonna be quite a surprise to see which place she chooses I
17:53honestly can't believe I'm about to move to Alice Springs and look at the ranges oh my god so we have
18:01got so many incredible wildflowers here I definitely don't think I would have moved here if Anna wasn't
18:07here like I would never have known about this part of the world this is so unusual to see out here there's
18:13many flowers there's so much creativity in Alice Springs so I feel like I'm coming to the right place
18:18first of all Tony's a dream so thank you she took me to Mount John the landscape there was absolutely
18:25stunning it looks fantastic space was so nice oh really yeah and this is perfect to have all my like
18:33messy art supplies it's like she's found a perfect place and it's over butch it you've been to see
18:39yeah okay how's that little rustic shipping container I think it was canela it's a really
18:47cute area okay yeah it's a bit out of town though yeah it felt a bit like I'd have to have a car would
18:52you feel comfortable being that far out of town I don't know I was thinking about this am I gonna
18:56get like eaten by some kind of dingoes there's dingoes there's snakes there's birds of prey the skull
19:02is amazing the space itself was interesting all the bills and stuff were included my god bargain
19:08where else did you see it was in Larapinta it's lovely suburb the first thing I noticed the ranges
19:15yeah oh my god the thing about that one was that there was a housemate already there oh my gosh was
19:22this Neil's house do you know Neil of course I don't know just from the bar yeah he's lovely
19:38I feel like realistically I should stick to the plan and rule out Mount John I've only got like a
19:48certain amount of savings so for the financial pressure yeah no ideal I'd almost half ruled out
19:55like the idea of sharing somewhere oh we've had some nightmares together in London yeah I know I can
20:00see why yeah I wouldn't want to go back to that London is such a busy city maybe living on a nice
20:06quiet rural block would actually do you some good just decompress from the busyness you know I came
20:11here to like push myself in at the deep end yeah maybe it is what I'm looking for I think that would
20:17be pretty amazing but is it too much of a jump and Neil would be such a great person to know to make
20:24friends and then the dogs came through such a nice surprise yeah it felt in a way like I already had
20:31moved in yeah so maybe maybe I'll maybe I'll go for the Fletcher oh my god my new life in Alice Springs
20:43couldn't be more different than my life in London I'm smiling more than ever my cheeks are hurting this
20:50place is absolutely stunning it's everything Anna said it would be and more the new home is beautiful
20:57got my smile on Neil's an absolute hoot the dogs are so so sweet job wise nothing is set in stone
21:08but I've got a lot of offers on the table the art scene there's just so much more potential for
21:16creative opportunities out here I wish I'd done it sooner and having Anna here it's the the cherry
21:21on top back together baby we're just two city girls living in a small Australian town
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