February 28th, 2025Block watch…
The Block 2025 is being filmed in Daylesford and the Raglan Street site already has the steel bones of five huge houses up, waiting for the contestants to arrive next month to turn them into homes.
The Local’s editor Donna Kelly chatted with the show’s executive producer Julian Cress, above, about all things Daylesford, local businesses, leaving legacies, building and a worldwide profile – for free.
Donna: How are things shaping up for this year with The Block.
Julian: Fantastic. We are just finalising our pre-production at the moment, getting all of the properties ready, getting our contestants ready and getting our crew ready.
We kick off in a few weeks’ time, and everything’s looking really positive. We start filming in March, and we’ll finish in June.
Donna: What’s the feeling like for you and your guys in the town now, because you know you had a bit of opposition for a while there?
Julian: We had a couple of people who were anti the development, but the response we’ve had from the wider community has been absolutely awesome, extremely positive, and very welcoming. And a lot of business owners I’ve talked to see it as a great economic benefit.
Donna: Do you find regions like Phillip Island (2024) get an economic lift out of it?
Julian: Yeah. I’ve been a bunch of times since we were filming last year, and I’ve had incredible responses from local business owners who are so grateful that The Block was there.
They’ve seen a really big uptick in tourism and trade. I noticed that our friends at the Penguin Parade put out a press release recently saying that The Block effect had delivered a record year for them.
So we can really see that it’s not just the money that we spend in the community when we’re making the show, but it’s all the money that flows when people watch the show and choose to go to that destination.
Donna: There are a few people selling their own properties and hoping The Block will shine a light on the region. Does that happen?
Julian: I think there’s no doubt that people who aren’t familiar with an area can learn a lot about it from watching our show. And let’s not forget, it’s not just about the audience watching the show in Australia.
Our show goes to over 170 territories around the world. And I think that what we can deliver for tourism isn’t just people around Australia coming to Daylesford, but people from all over the world choosing to visit Daylesford when they come out to Australia.
Donna: You would know that Daylesford is the largest LGBTIQA+ regional town in Australia. Are you choosing any contestants based on that?
Julian: Absolutely. The Block was the first TV show in the world to have a gay couple. And we’ve had a bunch of contestants from that community on the show over the years. This year will be no different.
Donna: Do the contestants know what they are getting into?
Julian: No. No contestant, no matter how much they’ve watched the show, can really understand just how challenging it can be to do it. And I know that because they all tell me. Every season, every contestant says to me at some point, ‘Jules, I knew this would be hard. I just didn’t know it would be this hard’. But they also at the end, when they finish, they always say to me, ‘that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but it was also the best’.
Donna: And do you still enjoy it yourself?
Julian: Very much so. And I’m very, very much looking forward to doing this series in Daylesford because I live in the Macedon Ranges. I moved up from Melbourne a few years ago. So I’m a local (and) I’m really pleased that I won’t be away from my family for four months, like I was last year. I absolutely love it. You know, I’m fully in love with the area and planning to spend the rest of my life here.
Donna: And is that how Daylesford was chosen?
Julian: I wish I was that powerful. We came across the location through a friend of ours, Natalie (Fagan), at Belle Property. She’s a great agent in the area there. And she introduced me to the developers. I just love the fact that the property is so well positioned.
It’s like the gateway to Daylesford. And obviously we’re taking the responsibility of that very seriously and planning to put in a lot of effort to create homes that really will set the scene for people arriving in Daylesford.
And, you know, we’re going to spend millions of dollars locally. A bunch of my builders have been on site now already for a couple of months and they’ve already all become members of the local bowling club and they’re loving it up there.
I think once my film crew starts to arrive in the next few weeks, you know, I think local businesses are going to see a lot of new customers because all of those people need to eat and drink. And we’re renting accommodation for everyone.
We’ve booked many, many homes for many months. They’ll spend a lot of money locally. And then of course, when the show is on the air later in the year, you’ll start to see tourists coming. And that tourism will happen for many years to come as the show rolls out around the world.
Donna: A win-win for the community.
Julian: I certainly hope so. And we’re going to really work very hard. We’re actually going to be doing some community projects while we’re there. Some charity projects that the community has told us they really want.
We’re looking forward to not just leaving five great homes behind us but an even more valuable legacy for the community with other projects that we can undertake as well.
Donna: Well, I can’t wait to see what you have in store and for the show to start airing. Thanks for your time.
Julian: My pleasure and I look forward to showing you around the site when we get under way.
