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00:00From its barren beauty to lush landscapes.
00:07The Australian countryside is as beautiful as it is breathtaking.
00:14Many Australians are discovering rural life and making the move.
00:20So I'm on the hunt to help everyday Australians find their perfect country house.
00:27Welcome to Heathcote where the draw card is its wonderful location.
00:35You are 90 minutes from the heart of Melbourne CBD.
00:39But then the day trips from here we are talking Bendigo, Seymour, Kilmore.
00:45It is just a magnificent place.
00:48Today's couple, they absolutely love the gardens here.
00:52My challenge is how big a garden can they handle?
00:56We're about to find out.
01:04Hello.
01:05Hi, I'm Katrina.
01:06Hi Katrina.
01:07I'm Sue.
01:08Sue.
01:09Steve.
01:10And Steve.
01:11It's so lovely to meet you and I have to begin by saying thank you for bringing me here.
01:14It's a huge triumph for you guys that we're doing this today.
01:17Firstly, I have been in trouble for calling it Heathcote.
01:20It's Heathcote, just Heathcote.
01:23What has drawn you here?
01:26We were always down in Heathcote visiting Sue's younger sister.
01:30Just the township itself, you know, the friendliness of the people.
01:33Not like the hustle and bustle of the inner city.
01:36Everything seems so calm.
01:38I work in Melbourne at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre.
01:42Work can be quite challenging at times.
01:46Hence why we're sort of seeking something out of the inner city living.
01:51And then we both work at a plant nursery in Wondong, Fortwide Wholesale Nursery at the end of the week and the weekends.
01:59We're an outdoorsy family.
02:02We love nature.
02:03We love the open space.
02:05And gardening.
02:06Any time I can get out in the garden with the plants and the soil and everything, it's just, I love it.
02:12What we're actually looking for in a house is somewhere to have family gatherings so it's got to be lots of open space.
02:19We've got six children between us.
02:21Three adult children and three younger ones.
02:24Two of the adults have moved out and had their own families.
02:27I like older style with all the period styles in the house.
02:31We have plenty of antiques and stuff like that.
02:34Somewhere safe for the dogs so they can't get out and get hurt or anything.
02:39And just to have the country feel.
02:41Our budget is around $9.50 to a million.
02:44If we found that dream home, we'd probably put a little bit more money into it, yeah.
02:51As long as we love it.
02:54Heathcote sits in the heart of Victoria, about an hour and a half north of Melbourne.
02:59It is a town that embraces its country charm with classic heritage buildings and rolling rural landscapes.
03:06So whether they're sampling the sweet and savoury treats of Gaffney's Bakery, a local staple,
03:11or simply enjoying the tranquility of the outdoors, I know Sue and Steve will feel right at home here.
03:19I heard that we're kindred spirits in that we enjoy a little bit of gardening.
03:27Love being out in nature, in the soil, getting our hands dirty.
03:30Are you looking for a property that has an established garden or you're not fussed?
03:34More established, more country, cottage.
03:37Because I started with a bare paddock on a sheep station and I have no talent at all, but I know that you can build something if you've got the land.
03:45And the great thing that I love to say about a country garden is that it can be as big as you're willing to push the fence out.
03:53Which leads us to this first property, which has some really nice fencing.
03:58We are on five acres here.
04:00So that is plenty of space.
04:02The house itself, owner-builder, ranch style.
04:06Would you like to have a look inside?
04:07Oh, yes, please, please.
04:08Me too.
04:09Let's go and have a look.
04:10I love a veranda.
04:11Well, come on through.
04:22Oh, wow.
04:23Oh, wow.
04:24Indeed.
04:25It's beautiful.
04:26This property is only five years old.
04:30How do you feel when you walk into this massive living space?
04:36Yeah, it's beautiful.
04:37It's very open.
04:38It does feel as though they've thought of everything.
04:41Big fireplace.
04:42Lovely big kitchen there.
04:44Double glazed windows.
04:45I felt that it was really, really open.
04:47Beautifully set up.
04:48Really, really nice.
04:49Picked out only.
04:51Clearly the owner loves Highland cows.
04:54So do I.
04:55Do you?
04:56Yeah.
04:57I'd like to get some miniature Galloways when we find a property.
05:00Very specific.
05:01Yes.
05:02Great.
05:03I want to show you something before you check out the rest of the house.
05:07Oh, wow.
05:08It's just this way beyond the pool.
05:09Oh, wow.
05:10Oh, wow, indeed.
05:21I've seen some pretty epic man caves in my time.
05:24But this is on another level.
05:27It is so clean.
05:28There is a full kitchen.
05:30There is a full bathroom.
05:32And where the cars are held, you could eat off the floor.
05:37It is so Schmidt.
05:38What would you do with this space?
05:41Put some more windows in here just for plants.
05:43Really?
05:44Yeah.
05:45Okay.
05:46But if you wanted to have a man cave, this would be it.
05:48This is just absolutely amazing.
05:50Our kids would run wild.
05:52Yeah, I can see the kids running amok.
05:54They would love it.
05:55A lot of effort putting into it.
05:57They would absolutely love it.
05:59Check out the house.
06:00And when you're ready, I'll meet you by the pool.
06:03Yes, beautiful.
06:04Shall we meet up by the pool?
06:05Beautiful.
06:06Lovely.
06:07Let's go take a wander.
06:08No worries.
06:20Oh, wow.
06:21Great size bedroom.
06:22Mmm.
06:23It is.
06:24It's lovely.
06:25Walking road.
06:26Highland cows.
06:28The house, still a little bit more modern than I would have liked.
06:32I love all my antiques.
06:33We've got lots of antiques and plants.
06:35But we could change it.
06:37Once we put our furniture and our antique stuff in.
06:40Yeah.
06:41You know?
06:42Alright, we go meet Katrina outside and find out what the price is.
06:44Yeah.
06:45Let's go.
06:46Okay.
06:54I'd take you into the pool, but I don't know how to operate this gate.
06:57It is very, very child-proof, which is exactly what you want.
07:02Because I know that you've got grandchildren, so it is so perfectly safe.
07:06This beautiful big deck, looking out there.
07:08I can see that you're already looking out into the distance.
07:11Yeah.
07:12The view is beautiful.
07:13Now I can see us here on a summer night with the grandkids.
07:16Oh, yeah.
07:17Just amazing.
07:18What do you think this home is on the market for?
07:21Oh.
07:22Don't do that.
07:23I'm thinking around maybe 1-1.
07:261-1, definitely.
07:28Being this new with everything included, it is at the top end of the budget.
07:35What do you think this home is on the market for?
07:48I'm thinking around maybe 1-1.
07:501-1, definitely.
07:52It is at the top end of the budget.
07:561.15 to 1.25.
08:01So the top end of the budget, but not blowing it.
08:03Okay.
08:04The price is a little over budget.
08:06It's still doable.
08:07It is a new home, though.
08:09A little bit of a blank canvas.
08:11We can see what happens now.
08:12Yeah, we can just see what happens.
08:14I've got two more homes.
08:15I cannot wait to show you, and I think you're going to like the two of them as well.
08:18Oh, beautiful.
08:19Okay, let's go and have a look.
08:22House number one gave Sue and Steve loads of space for them and their children to roam freely.
08:27But with its modern style and top of the budget price, they may have a few doubts.
08:32So, for the next option, I am taking them to something that feels a little more traditional.
08:38It's a gorgeous old home with beautifully established gardens.
08:42Well, guys, this property is on a slightly smaller block of land.
08:48The house itself is a little bit bigger.
08:50It's on two levels.
08:51It's got the four bedrooms, and it already has established trees.
08:56Oh, it's gorgeous.
08:57The outside is absolutely beautiful.
08:59It just has that country vibe to it.
09:01Yeah, this is something that I pictured in my head.
09:04There is a question that I forgot to ask you, which is really important.
09:09Do you have dogs?
09:10We do.
09:11We have two escape artists.
09:13This home has fantastic secure fencing, perfect for escape artist dog fencing.
09:19Yes.
09:20Is that a plus for you?
09:21Oh, yes, definitely.
09:22Definitely.
09:23Most definitely.
09:24Let's go inside.
09:25Straight away, you come into this huge, big open kitchen living area.
09:43Huge amount of storage space down here.
09:45Big butler's pantry.
09:46What do you think of this big space here?
09:51Um.
09:52Oh, what?
09:53I don't know.
09:54It's nothing's jumping out at me.
09:57I'd probably change the wall colours, add a bit more neutral tones and some more wood.
10:02I like wood.
10:03I think, yeah, it's just a lot of cosmetic stuff that I would change.
10:06I would like to see changed.
10:08It does have the four bedrooms, but something I think is a little bit interesting is that
10:13the fourth bedroom is in a huge separate living area out the back.
10:18I like the concept of the dwelling out there.
10:20Um, you know, you could always have family come over and stay over for the weekend.
10:25And yeah, I really like that idea.
10:27Yeah.
10:28Well, how about you take a wander and when you're ready, I'll see you in the garden.
10:32No way.
10:33All right, lovely.
10:34Mmm, it's big in here.
10:39Nice.
10:40I like it.
10:41This will be great for the kids.
10:42A little getaway from them.
10:43Peace and quiet for us.
10:45Yeah.
10:46Yeah.
10:47Yeah.
10:48Yeah.
10:49Yeah.
10:50Yeah.
10:51Yeah.
10:52Yeah.
10:53Yeah.
10:54Yeah.
10:55Yeah.
10:56Yeah.
10:57Yeah.
10:58Yeah.
10:59Yeah.
11:00Yeah.
11:01Yeah.
11:02Yeah.
11:03Yeah.
11:04How do you feel about the house inside?
11:05Oh, the house in general?
11:06Like, it has that country feel.
11:08Yeah.
11:09But, um, I've just found a lot enough space inside.
11:12Yeah.
11:13A little bit overwhelming with the ceiling height and everything like that.
11:16Love the gardens and the street appeal of the house is beautiful.
11:19a different layout of furniture and it might be something that has potential yeah definitely
11:36all right my lovely gardener i know that for you your eyes instantly go into the dam and wondering
11:42all right if i want to do some planting how do i do it guilt-free and making sure i've got a good
11:46water supply this dam is connected to an underground bore and it's just constantly refilling itself
11:54and you'll never have to worry about water supply that's fantastic especially for gardens
11:58especially for your gardens putting some trout in then going fishing in the kids well what do you
12:03think this house is on the market for say high nines to a mill maybe it's 1.125 up for negotiation
12:17move-in ready and you've got that great barn the price of the house i think it is a little bit
12:23over budgeted but considering it's got the extra dwellings it will bring in what it's meant to
12:28bring in so how about i show you one more property um let's just see what you think all right okay
12:46house number two have the charm and the gardens that sue and steve absolutely love but with its
12:52price creeping a little too high they are still searching for that right fit so i am showing them
12:59a home with a huge wrap-around veranda classic country styling and one particularly bold design
13:06choice that well um it'll be hard to miss come on through guys to the front of this pathway here
13:13this is the biggest of the three properties it's 11 acres established gardens the only downside we are
13:21near a road look the main roads it's close it is close and it is a bit loud you want to come out to
13:30tranquility and then you've got the main road there but in saying that too just looking at the at the
13:35house itself the house looks amazing yeah i think i need to see the whole the whole package you want
13:42to go and look inside yes let's do come on through to this newly renovated kitchen i just want you to
13:59get into your mind the age of this homestead 1800s however it was moved from one property to this
14:07location how do you feel about an older home i love it it's got the windows something really warm
14:13about it character i think that's what it is yeah the kitchen was beautiful loving the period style
14:20is that called a wood oven the wood fried oven absolutely which will work both ways in cooking
14:25and heating that's that's a big bonus just needs to be a little bit brighter and i think with our stuff
14:30in it it would be wonderful well how about i let you take a wander down that glorious wide
14:36hallway and when you're ready i'll meet you outside all right beautiful
14:50oh wow oh wow
14:54that really hits you in the face why why would you pick this color the green wall has to go yeah it'd be
15:02one of the first things that i would want to change if we decided i'd even let the kids paint
15:06it yeah any other color but green what are you thinking about the house i love it yeah the owner's
15:13done really really well to preserve being so old do you think that the size of the property is going to
15:19be a bit challenging yes but um look we have the kids and we can i think we can manage well let's go
15:27and ask katrina yeah let's go i really want to know okay
15:41come and join me this lovely deck looking out to a well stocked dam as a gardener you work in the local
15:51nursery how do you feel about this garden i did notice it's going to take some work it's a bit
15:56overwhelming but it could be the time of year too like it's nothing's it's not popping at the moment
16:02but i feel with a little bit of help from maybe the kids and and steve yes we could get it under
16:06control keep it there get a load of this i'm so excited i've just got to get to it now how much do
16:12you think it's on the market for oh i'll say million gotta be a million gotta be a million i spoke to
16:20the owner 900 grand no are you serious i'm serious oh wow it gives us something to consider i couldn't
16:31believe the price of the house it's so cheap compared to what we've just come from i'm actually
16:36shocked it sounds too good to be true how about you have a chat to your six beautiful children
16:42and when and if you're ready let's catch up and see if you'd like to make a decision all right
16:57i've finished showing sue and steve all three homes and helped plant a little decision seed in their
17:03minds so while i wait for it to bloom into an answer i am off to meet with india munari of munari wines to
17:10find out why heathcourt has been the ideal spot for her family-run winery to absolutely thrive
17:18my name's india munari my family started this business in 1992 my parents established this
17:25how come the industry around here is just booming it feels like it's really moving forward
17:30at a rapid pace yeah he has an incredible brand one reason is our location so close to melbourne
17:37you know you can get to the inner suburbs the northern suburbs in an hour and a half we've got
17:41a first class climate so nice warm days cool nights and finally our bedrock is ancient 550 million years
17:49old so really nutrient dense which just creates a beautiful environment for vines to grow but there
17:55is also a wonderful reputation for women in the wine industry here yeah heathcourt is a relatively young
18:03region and even in the last 10 years we've certainly seen a bit of a shift and that is due to more
18:09female-led female-run wineries and winemakers a group that i'm proud to be part of is called heathcourt
18:15women in wine we've been busy over the last few years trying to do projects that really help
18:20build the reputation and drive tourism to heathcourt i didn't always live in heathcourt i lived in
18:25melbourne and sydney i've done some travel and when i first came back to heathcourt i realized oh actually
18:30this is changing things are happening there's more music you know wine wine and food events bendigo is so
18:37close heaps going on over there with the art gallery as well and i i have heard that the community here
18:43is wonderful it is i must say i think the wine community is very tight which i think you know
18:50you could be in a very competitive environment but it's not the case here everyone has the same goal
18:56which is to build the region and you know build successful businesses
19:05the blossoming season is upon us because sue and steve have just let me know that they have actually
19:12made a decision so it's time to catch up and find out which of the three homes they have chosen to
19:18take root in i love this room it's gorgeous isn't it isn't it gorgeous and knowing that you like antiques
19:26yeah so now that we're here in your happy place of the three houses let's go through them
19:33the five acres of house number one which was beautiful it was beautiful the fencing we would
19:39have had to put mesh wire all the way around because our dogs would just go visit everybody
19:44but it they've done a fantastic job it just was missing something i like old things because they've
19:49got a story to tell and i can't help it it's just so built into me you you seem to have an instant
19:56reaction to house number two look it was a bit of a disappointment because outside was lovely and i
20:03couldn't wait to see inside the house and then i was a little bit let down there wasn't any character
20:08like the outside had so much character probably would have had to have done a lot of work when
20:12we're talking about it more than to probably painting probably just opening it up a little
20:16bit more and that's just not something that we're prepared to do in this stage of our life but did
20:22that mean that when you went down that drive for house number three the feeling was different is that
20:29fair it is the old homestead with the verandas yeah the wrap around verandas plenty of places to put
20:36the animals if i needed to it had secure fencing i loved the ceilings the ceilings were my favorite
20:42how did you feel about the green whoa that i do love green i like vintage green like an olive green
20:49or a sage green any other green but that bright green you just get this like you don't want to
20:56leave i actually feel like i want to go back and have another look because there's something drawing to
21:01it it sounds to me i think we've made our decision what do you think you'll do definitely put an
21:08offering definitely we've spoke about it it's so obvious it's so obvious that we can get over that
21:15green wall yep they love houses with character yeah it had the established trees lots of potential
21:23well i am thrilled for you thank you for bringing us to heathcote you have landed on your feet you are
21:28living in clover thank you beautiful
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