Original subtitles

- From its barren beauty

to lush landscapes,

the Australian countryside is as beautiful as it is breathtaking.

Many Australians are discovering rural life and making the move.

So I'm on the hunt to help everyday Australians find their perfect country house.

www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023

Get ready to be blown away by some gorgeous scenery, because today, I am in stunning Port Macquarie,

helping empty-nesters John and Sally make the move up north from Geelong.

High on our couple's wish list for the move is loads of space for visiting family

and closeness to the beach, please.

- I have to say since we've been standing here, there's been a whale frolicking out there.

- Come along with us as we explore three fantastic options for the big move.

Port Macquarie in New South Wales, it has a special place in my heart.

You see, it's found right in the middle of Sydney and Brisbane,

so my family, we used to come here for holidays,

so I totally understand why today's couple, John and Shelley, they also came here for a holiday,

but they asked themselves, 'Why would we leave?' You see, they are empty-nesters.

They have a great budget ― $1.2 million.

And they'd love to find a home that's close to town and the beach.

I know that we will find them their forever home in Port Macquarie.

- We started talking about moving after we'd been up here for a couple of weeks over winter

and just loved the climate, and just started talking about what was next for us.

Kids have grown up, and, yeah, maybe it was time for a new adventure.

We met about five years ago. We have a blended family, so we have four adult kids between us.

They all have their own lives, and, you know,

we just decided it was a great time to think about what we wanted to do.

- We're probably pressuring them too much for grandchildren,

so we thought if we moved a little further away, there might be less pressure and more result.

- I definitely love teaching yoga, and love the opportunity to do it in this climate ―

a bit of outdoor yoga, maybe even look at setting up a studio down the track.

- The climate, the beaches, and the green space. Port Macquarie has a wonderful blend of all three.

- There's something about this place that just makes me feel like I belong here.

The combination of the beautiful weather and the outdoor lifestyle

that we've got ahead of us is really exciting.

- Port Macquarie is a four-hour drive north of Sydney on the dreamy east coast of New SouthWales.

It is beautiful.

This perfect holiday spot offers gorgeous beaches, a bustling town centre

and a relaxed coastal lifestyle.

With the unbeatable sunny climate here,

it's no surprise that John and Shelley have chosen Port Macquarie to make their move.

- It is time to show our couple house number one. Located just down the road from the beach,

this property is definitely set to impress. Let's see what our couple think.

Come on in and join me. I will be asking about this in just a moment.

However, the first thing that I would love to know is that, for me,

as someone who used to come to this area as a holidaymaker, I'm in awe of the fact that you get tomove here,

but I am curious ― why Port Macquarie, of all the locations you could have chosen?

- We came up for a holiday, and it was the middle of the year.

I decided I was going for a swim― - Middle of the year? Winter?

- Winter. - Swimming. - And it was beautiful in there.

It was gorgeous, and we hardly ever get into the water down home. - Hmm.

- What are we doing there? - Got it.

- Yes, we've gotta move north. And then Port Macquarie was the ideal location.

- It's so liveable, and I think what cemented it for me was standing up at the lighthouse on that trip,

and there were whales everywhere, as far as the eye could see. - Oh!

- So that was a pretty good feeling too.

- Welcome to paradise. - Absolutely.

- Welcome to paradise.

I know that you are a yoga teacher. - Hmm.

I just have to deal with the elephant in the room, respectfully.

- What happened? Is that a sport injury? - Yeah.

I wish I had some great adventurous injury story to tell you,

but unfortunately, I was just walking the dog.

- That is so boring. - I know.

OK, I will go gentle on you today.

- So, let's go through your wish list. I know that you have a budget of around 1.2,

and even though you're empty-nesters, you wouldn't mind a few bedrooms for children that mayvisit,

is that right? - Yeah, absolutely. We'd like to cater for the kids.

- We've come off a little bit of land. We don't like looking after it.

I understand. So we want the feeling of space

without having space to look after.

- Well, I can promise you three wonderful homes

that meet all these different things that are on your wish list.

We're surrounded by green space, 700 metres from the beach.

So we obviously have this blond brick family home.

Is this your thing? It's very coastal.

No.

- Oh, I know. It's not for everyone. - But, I mean, there's so many homes that are rendered

that were this brick or a similar brick,

and they come up magnificently, so, you know, it's not the end of the world.

- We're not adverse to doing, you know, bits and pieces for the right place.

- All right, well, let's check out house number one. Hop this way.

- I think that you would have to admit this place has been styled to perfection.

What do you think as you come into this huge room?

- Love the openness of it. We both love open-plan. - Hmm.

- So, yeah, just love how light it is and bright, and nice kitchen. - Yes.

- It's been really well set up. - Yeah.

- I think they've done a great job. - Great space. - I totally agree.

It's actually a 1980s build, but it has been renovated. - Hmm.

- It's so beautifully done, and then of course, you've got this beautiful flow all the way through.

We can see the ocean from here.

What I really wanna show you is this added room that is a dealbreaker for this real estate market.

Come on through.

Well, team, this is something, this little old granny flat, that is absolutely going bonkers,

because Airbnb is doing so well.

But you've got here the full kitchen, the bathroom ―

you can see why, in a holiday spot like this, having this big a space will probably make or break the home.

- Yeah. It's fantastic.

- Take your time to look at all of this house, and when you're ready, I'll meet you out the back. OK?

- OK. - All right, see you soon. - Sounds good.

- Love the shutters. - Gotta love the shutters. - Yeah.

It's really beautiful and light in here.

The tiles on the floor in the en suite are beautiful, and I actually really love the black fittings.

I think our stuff will work really nicely in here. I can see... - Yeah.

- I can see this house furnished with our furniture.

- Now, something that I haven't asked you yet is ―

how do you feel about a pool? - It's a bonus.

- What about the downstairs entertaining space too, the timber deck?

- I think that's where you'd be. Beautiful down there, and it's gonna get sun all day.

- Now, John, you're the former maths teacher, so I'm going to ask you ―

what do you think this home is on the market for?

- I'm thinking... about our budget, about 1.2.

- It's actually 1.2 to 1.35.

- The price was pretty well, I think, where we both thought it would be.

Given that it's got the space for the Airbnb or have it for when our adult kids come to stay.

- You could see it working. - Yeah.

- Ticking off everything on our couple's wish list,

this house is a strong first contender for our house hunt.

So, stay with us, as I still have two more amazing options that offer even better views.

- Today, I am lucky enough to be in the wonderful town of Port Macquarie,

helping John and Shelley make the sea change from Geelong.

So, the first option that we saw had the space that they were after, but just a glimpse of theocean.

Just you wait until you see the views of this next house.

So, I have brought you up amongst the trees. I know that you love your green space, don't you?

- We do. We do. And this is green that way and green this way.

The best part about it ― all that greenery? Mostly not on this property.

Somebody else's problem ― fabulous.

- I will mention what you are looking at, you have the brick again. Would you conceal that?

- For me, it's a nicer brick. It works better. - Great.

You've got a double garage here, and, yes, there is a granny flat too.

- Fantastic. Can't wait to see it. - Let's go inside. Of course. - Awesome.

- Everywhere you look, there is... There is green space.

So, I can tell you now that the house is around about 30 years old.

The kitchen ― that was redone around about 10 years ago. - Fantastic kitchen.

It's nice and bright and open. - You mention that you don't mind a project.

What do you think you'd do? - Hmm.

I think given the amazing views from up here, I'd really open this living space up.

- That's where the view is, out the front, so extending that deck would be fabulous.

- I will let you, naturally, take a little wander around.

See what the main bedrooms are like. Take your time, and I will see you when you're ready down the front, OK?

- Sounds good. Thanks. - Love it.

- Good outlook. I like the treetops. - Lovely outlook. - Yeah.

- That works.

- It's definitely not our style.

We would probably need to do a little bit of work to make this more the style that we like.

- It's not gonna take much.

- I've got a nice little spot here looking out over the pool. - Mm.

- You can see with this garden ― easy maintenance. - Yeah.

It's very sheltered too, I think.

- What do you think about the fact that in that pool is, like, a little bar.

- I think that is fantastic. - I've never seen that before. It's so cute.

- I haven't either, but, yeah. - Chuck the champers in the middle.

- Love it. - John, do you― - That works.

- Yeah, OK. - That works.

- What do you think this place is on the market for? - I'm guessing 1.2.

- Well, John, you could hear the kookaburras were laughing at you right then.

Because you may love the fact that it's actually 100 grand under budget.

- Wow. - At the moment, it's on the market for 1.1.

- I was surprised by the price, yeah.

- Good value. - This property is in a great spot.

We definitely love this lighthouse beach area.

Pretty incredible. - Sensational. Could definitely see us in the pool.

I like the little bar area. - With one of your amazing cocktails, that'd be great.

- There is just so much that John and Shelley love about house number two.

It's got the relaxing pool area, loads of living space and gorgeous coastal views.

Up next ― I catch up with Ian from the Bago Maze and Winery to learn a little bit more about this region.

And later on, I think I may just have saved the best until last with house number three.

In between all of the house-hunting in Port Macquarie,

I stopped into this fantastic family-run and family-oriented Bago Maze and Winery to chat with Ian.

What's interesting when you come here is that you're actually taking in three generations of your family.

I can see the cattle. That was your grandfather. - Yeah.

- Your dad set up the vineyards. - Yeah.

- And for you, this is your creation. - Yeah, that's right.

So, I designed the maze way back in 2006.

It's been a mainstay of our business since we opened it.

- So, it was just an idea of yours, and now it's become a regional success story?

- Yeah, that's right. It was an idea, a bit of an experiment. And it's definitely paid off.

- Children love a maze, don't they? - Oh yeah, absolutely.

The parents enjoy a wine while their kids are either running through the maze or rolling downthe hill

or playing on the grass.

- And this is the beauty of this area as well.

I never would have thought this would be a great wine-growing region. But you've proven mewrong.

- Over the years, we've found varieties that do grow well here,

so our specialties are a red variety called Chambourcin... - Yeah.

- ...and another red variety called Norton. We're the only place in Australia

that grow it and produce it into a wine. - Is that right?

- Yeah. - Once again, it's this amazing climate that makes the region unique.

- Yeah, absolutely.

- It's time now to show John and Shelley the final house that I have in store for them.

Once again, we are not too far from the beach, but unlike the previous options,

house number three has been recently renovated, and it is move-in ready.

But let's see. What do our couple think of this one?

It's quite lovely as you walk past. It's a lovely entrance...

to this home.

Now, I'm not sure if you're going to like this fact about where I've brought you to for our finalhome.

There is not one beach. There's two.

- We have Nobbys. Second beach is called Shelly's Beach. - Oh, it's meant to be.

- So, what do you think of the kerb appeal of this place? - Love the garden. Loving this.

- Low-maintenance. - Yes, absolutely. - Yes.

And they've already rendered the place for us.

Yeah. It's a funny detail.

- I mean, I know some people do like their brick, but the two homes, you've already said,

'I'd just render it, no dramas.' Obviously, they've already done that here.

I've got quite a bit to show you. Let's take a look inside. OK. - Sounds good.

- Well, you can see it's move-in ready. It's been renovated. It's very simple. I hope you like your timber.

How do you feel as you walk into this space?

- Love the floorboards. - Yeah. Floor is beautiful, yeah. - Yeah?

- Yeah. - Of course, the entertaining space is out the front.

You can see straight across to the water.

So it does feel to me that you're drawn out to here. - Amazing.

- But I'd like to just quickly take you into this kitchen,

so let's take a look inside and have a look, see what you think. - OK.

- I know that it's very neat. Does it need updating?

- I think― - Yes. - Yeah, I think it does.

- You can say it, John. - Yeah, yeah.

- You're allowed to say these things. - Yeah.

- But I'm really loving the amount of windows,

the amount of light that's coming into here. - Yeah. Again,

it's such a light space. It's really nice. Yeah. - It is. It's a beautiful space.

- All year round, it would feel beautiful.

When you're ready, come and meet me outside on the front veranda. OK, take your time.

- Sounds good. - See what you think.

- This, Shelley... - Oh, wow.

- ...is the― Oh, look at the view. - Amazing.

- Green and water.

Fabulous.

- Great walk-in 'robe, which we haven't seen in the other couple of houses.

- I like that. - Imagine, like, waking up here and looking at that view.

- I have. - I have.

- Hi there. - Hi.

- What do you think of this space? - It's pretty incredible. - It is really lovely.

- This fits the bill.

- I have to say, since we've been standing here, there's been a whale frolicking out there,

so cannot complain about that. - This is your perfect whale viewing area.

You'd just have to have binoculars here, wouldn't you? Yeah.

- Absolutely. - Yeah, how lovely. - Binoculars and a bottle of wine,

and settle in. - OK, just hold up, guys.

You don't know the price. - Hmm. True.

- What do you think it is? - I think it's gonna be a little bit outside our budget.

I'm thinking about 1.3. Yeah.

- 1.35. - You are both spot-on.

1.3 to 1.35.

- Lots to think about. - Yeah, there definitely is a lot to think about.

I mean, this is pretty amazing, but it really is outside our budget.

- It's significantly more than our budget.

- You can never quite pick why someone will fall in love with a country home.

It can be for the strangest of reasons, like an open fireplace, even a certain dog-proof fence.

I just don't know if Shelley's beloved whale spotting deck

is enough to get bean counter John over the line.

House number two, that was high above the trees.

All they really needed to do was render that home,

and the house number one, well, I think that could be the strongest contender.

That was move-in ready with the granny flat. That's the kicker in this area.

I cannot wait to catch up with our lovely couple to see if they've found a home in Port Macquarie.

- Well, I've shown John and Shelley three outstanding homes for their move to Port Macquarie,

so after a little bit of thinking time, I'll catch up with them again

to find out which home they may have settled on.

Nice to see your smiling faces. Thank you for bringing me here. I love this.

So, did you have a good chat about what we saw? How are you feeling? - Yeah.

We had a lot to take in, actually. - You really did. - Yeah.

It was a big day. - Yes.

Is there of those three ― I feel there's a strong contender ―

is there one that you would rule out straight away?

- Two. - That's what I thought.

- The second one was probably less us than the other two.

Honestly, you found us two homes that we can live in.

- So, house number one had the practicality ― move-in ready, off we go.

But house number three had the hook on your heart.

- Absolutely. - Is that fair to say?

- Yeah, it is definitely fair to say.

You know, you walk into a space, and you can see yourself living there,

and you can see your friends and family― you know, in the space as well,

and it's such a heart thing for me. - Hmm.

- Probably less a bean counter thing. - So, do you think that...

Shelley's push for the heart will win over your head?

Shelley's heart always wins.

Go, girl.

- So, there was never really a contest, and I love it.

- So you'll put a bid in on house number three?

- Yes, we will. - We will. - Yes, we will.

That air flow, that light. - Hmm, hmm.

- And the fact that when you stand on the veranda, boom, whales breaching. - I know.

You know, you can't go wrong with that, can you? - Hmm, yeah.

Well, all the best of luck for your beautiful new life and all your new adventures...

- Cheers. - ...in this gorgeous community of Port Macquarie.

John and Shelley ended up going with...

house number... three.

It seems that they absolutely loved the incredible ocean views, and you can't blame them.

So I'm very happy to announce that their offer on the property was accepted,

so we wish you all the very best with your move up to beautiful Port Macquarie.

www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023