The Block sticks with made-in-Melbourne formula
The next series of Channel Nine's hit renovation show, The Block, seems set for South Melbourne, with the television show production company spending some $3.8 million on four unrenovated terraces.
The Dorcas Street terraces have potential for a third-storey addition which will have city views, and the installation of front balconies.
The current series of The Block, in Richmond, Melbourne, has been a ratings winner for Channel 9, although the renovators will face a testing auction market.
Historically known as Emerald Hill, the South Melbourne area was first settled by Europeans in the 1840s. During the Victorian gold rush of 1851 a tent city known as Canvas Town was established.
The district remains notable for its well-preserved Victorian-era streetscapes.
The four terraces, which are diagonally opposite former 1877 hotel The Star and Garter, have been tightly held, with the last-known recorded sale being at about $360,000 in 1999.
The Catholic church of Father Bob Maguire, St Peter and St Paul, overlooks the acquisition, which sold through Buxton Albert Park agent Karl Gillon pre-auction.
The terraces have three bedrooms and one bathroom each, with just the one terrace on the Montague Street corner coming with off-street car parking.
