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

- We are in the prettiest coastal town of Paynesville with Di and Duncan.

- Well, the red and black is certainly my shade because of my football team.

- Oh God.

Now they're wanting something spacious for hosting family

and also for keeping their growing collection of books.

Could it possibly be a library? - I think it'd be a library.

We don't need a media room, do we? - Oh, I don't know.

So, with three beautiful homes on offer, will one of them capture their hearts?

- Well, after the odd glass of wine last night, we've thought about it. And we're going to makean offer.

- Which one will it be?

Well, you'll have to wait and find out.

Lifestyle. That is pretty much the main reason why people are flocking to Paynesville.

And flocking is the operative word.

The bird life here is sensational,

as are the award-winning restaurants,

the wonderful wineries

and the incredibly diverse waterway system here.

No wonder today's couple, Di and Duncan, would love to live here permanently.

Now they're looking for a home that has plenty of space, not just for themselves,

but also for their grandchildren.

Oh, and they got a great budget. 2 million! They'd also like a warm place with plenty of roomfor books.

They have their own bookshop. You'll love them. Come and meet them.

- We both love to read, and we're passionate readers

and have been involved in the book industry for over 20 years.

And with the takeover of Collins back in 2005,

we felt we had a lot of our work was involving Melbourne and being in Melbourne,

and then when we took on the Hill of Content in that same year,

it meant that we were operating that shop and also one in Sydney.

- We've been living in the same house in Benstaff the last 43 years, dare I say.

An old house, built 1903, which we absolutely adored.

We sold it a little while ago, but, yeah, it actually broke my heart to sell it.

But now we're looking forward to moving to Paynesville, being close to the water.

- It's just so protected with its waterways.

The canals are just a beautiful setup and we'd like to end up owning a home on the canals.

- Maybe we'll even get a boat if we're lucky enough to get a house on the canals.

- Paynesville is in the Gippsland region of Victoria.

It's about a three and a half hours' drive from Melbourne.

This charming village surrounded by lakes on three sides,

with canals and inlets providing loads of sheltered moorings,

and is the region's boating capital.

It has so much more to offer, with koala spotting on Raymond Island,

walking trails, amazing restaurants and so much more.

It is no wonder that Di and Duncan would love to move to this beautiful spot permanently.

Before we start the tour of house number one, I have a little story I'd like to share.

- Get out of that rain. - Hello. How are you?

- Recently, I went to a friend's book launch.

It was one of the most beautiful bookshops I'd ever been into in my life.

I think it was three or four storeys high, in the heart of Melbourne.

And I have just found out that is your bookshop ― the Hill of Content.

Is that right? - It is, most definitely.

- So am I right in thinking you're not actually retiring?

- No, we're definitely not retiring, especially from the book industry.

- I tell you what, I just want to get you inside into a warm house.

Warm, modern house with plenty of space, and let's get ourselves out of the rain. Let's move on in. OK.

Well, what do you think?

- Wow. Goodness me.

- Amazing. - Very impressive. - Yes.

- The colour scheme, everything is just curated, and it's got an amazing view.

- And this is not a technical term, but I've decided to call them mullet houses,

because they are business at the front, party out the back. - That's right.

- The current owners built it to slow down a little bit in life, but they knew they'd have lotsof guests.

They have a lot of grandchildren ― currently 10 grandchildren.

So that's similar to your life at the moment too, isn't it?

- Very similar.

And we've got four grandchildren, but very similar in that we've got a lot of friends,

a lot of entertaining, and that's what we'd like to do. - Yes.

I'd like to take you into the kitchen-dining.

You let me know what you think of that entertaining space right there.

So if you lead the way, head on into there.

Well, I suppose you can see this is a very contemporary space.

I love the fact that there is so much storage.

You can have that with a new build.

Are these your shades?

- Well, the red and black is certainly my shade because of my football team.

Oh God.

- You know you're in Victoria when... Yeah. Go, Cats!

- But it probably darkens the house a little.

- I'll let you take a wander, and when you are done, come and meet me outside at party central.

- Very good. - All right.

- Oh, this is lovely and light, Dunc. - It's very light.

And also, there's good space for your potential books with that spare room over there

that's a study.

- We both need working space. - We need working space.

- And there's plenty of rooms that we can set up for studies.

And there are plenty of bedrooms as well for our grandkids for when they come home.

- I don't know about the kids being up in the same space as us as we get older.

- Oh goodness me.

- Oh goodness me. This is fabulous. - Isn't it lovely?

- Wow. - Yes.

- I've just been down here daydreaming, gazing at this beautiful waterway.

And have you seen down this side, the incredible kitchen?

Not just a barbecue, a kitchen. - That's a lovely outdoor kitchen, full with sinks and barbecues.

- Certainly impresses Duncan. - Now, we could do a lot of entertainment there.

- What do you think this one is on the market for?

- Uh, probably around the 2.

- This is actually just over. It's 2.1.

- Right. Yep. - OK.

- Yeah. I would have expected around the 2 million.

Whether we could get it for less is unknown, and whether we would pay the 2.1 is still to bedecided.

We understand we've got two more to see, so we'll look at it from there. - Yeah.

- So let's go and take a look at house number two, which is at a slightly different angle.

OK, let's go and check it out. - Good. - All right.

- After the break ―

- We've got two babysitting tools. - Yeah.

- We've got a pool and a park.

- And later ―

- Well, after the odd glass of wine last night, we've thought about it. And we're going to makean offer.

- Today, I am in the gorgeous region of Paynesville with Di and Duncan.

They are looking for something that's big enough for them, their books and their family when they come to visit.

So we've started off strong with house number one,

which I think will be very hard to beat.

But house number two certainly has loads going for it.

Let's see what Di and Duncan make of this.

Now, Duncan and Di, I did promise you that I would show you three homes that have water views,

but this is quite remarkable,

and I thought you might just want to take a squiz at this one.

This is a brand spanking new build.

It's actually been designed by a local award-winning architect.

Are you ready? Are you curious? - Absolutely. - We are.

- Oh, wow. Look at this, Dunc.

- So that is where you've got your canal view.

What do you think of that?

- Unbelievable. - Unbelievable. And you can have your boat down the front.

- That's right. - When we first walked in,

I was just astounded by the lightness of it.

The fact there were so many windows was a real wow factor.

- Bit different to our old home.

- This room would be great for the grandkids. - Grandkids.

- Do you think? - Yeah. - I think so.

Well, they're downstairs.

- You like having the grandchildren downstairs? You like being separated?

- No, I don't. No. But it's somewhere for them to go and have their own space.

- So let's go up and have a look at the main living area.

But I'd like you to do me a favour as we wander up ― check out the light,

and there's a little glass treat on the floor on your way through. - OK.

- The wine cellar was definitely unexpected.

- We've had a small wine cellar in our old home.

You could probably only fit one or two people in, and to walk into that was there was just something,

and the temperature just felt so right.

And to have that many bottles, that's a challenge.

But no, loved it.

- Ta-da! - Wow. Look at that.

- This is dual views.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is why you have the living space upstairs,

so you can maximize not only your canal here, but out this way,

that's a park that can never be built out, and you overlook Lake King, so it's not too much ofa leap.

- I loved our old house to bits. We were there for 40 years.

We brought up our three children there.

It was a family home, but I think we could make this a family home as well.

- Yes.

You go and have a look at the main bedroom, and when you're ready,

I got one more cherry that I would like to show you.

I'll meet you out there on the veranda,

and I'm just going to toast my bottom right now.

OK.

- Wow, look at that window. Crikey, I don't think I've ever seen one so big.

- Look at that. - Certainly takes advantage of the view.

- The one thing that worries me is what the cost of this place will be.

There would still be a lot of work, I would think, to finish it off, to make it how we wouldlike it.

- What do you think your grandchildren would think of that?

- We've got two babysitting tools ― we've got a pool and a park.

- What do you think it's on the market for?

It's a little bit of a tough one to guess at because it's so new.

- 2.1, 2.2.

- It's actually around 2.3.

- Oh. - Now, I know that's a little bit over your budget.

- Well, it was higher than what we were looking at.

It's got that value because of its uniqueness,

and it's been architecturally designed for the people in mind,

and therefore, they've put a lot of thought into those little concepts around the house.

- Got another one up my sleeve. Head on out. - Looking forward to it.

- Great. Fantastic.

After the break ― Tamara tells me why Paynesville is such a wonderful place to call home.

- Get to go stand-up paddleboarding in the morning before work. - That's just showing off.

And later on, it is open table for Di and Duncan.

Does anyone play pool? - Yes. I think I'm better than you are.

- For those of you who would love to visit Paynesville ― you're only human ―

look no further than Mariners Cove.

It's the perfect getaway for families, friends, couples, and even corporate retreats.

I caught up with Tamara to hear about all the amazing things that are on offer in Paynesville.

Does everyone have a boat here? It feels that way.

- Everybody has a boat here.

In fact, that's the reason my family and I moved here 15 years ago ― to buy a boat business.

- Really? - Yes.

- You loved it so much, you stayed. - Yeah, we stayed.

- What is it like living here? - Look, it's peaceful. It's the fresh air.

We're surrounded by national parks.

We're only two hours from the ski fields, so we get to do all the things that we love.

And you're not compromising.

We've still got beautiful restaurants on the water.

- What about that restaurant, Sardine? - Sardine!

- Award-winning.

- Chef's Hatted restaurant. We're surrounded by beautiful wineries, so we're not compromising,

we feel, anything to live here.

- And you get to wake up to this. - Get to go stand-up paddleboarding in the morning before work.

- That's just showing off.

I'd not heard of Paynesville before. It feels more local to me.

Why would people come to Paynesville?

- A lot of our visitors say know they go to the places on the highway.

Everyone's heard of Lakes Entrance.

Paynesville's precious and special because it's off the beaten track.

It's in the middle of the Gippsland Lakes.

We're a ferry ride over to Raymond Island, which is where you will see Koalas.

Guaranteed to see Koalas. - You better be right there. - You will see them.

It's an amazing place to see them in their natural habitat. It's so unique.

- We still have one house left to tour, so let's get a move on on our final house.

Well, I hope you like sandstone, because this is a fair bit older than where we have just comefrom.

And it's a little bit like my mullet house.

We've got the business this side.

We're quite deceiving.

You've just got a very neat garage, and all the actions happening on the waterway on the otherside,

which you well know. Would you like to come and have a look inside?

- We would. - We'd love to.

- OK. - Thank you.

- Well, I suppose as we pass through, I should mention, does anyone play pool?

- Oh, yes. We love pool. - We play pool.

Oh, I think I'm better than you are.

- Well, we won't go there. - Move on.

- But also the family would... - The family have all played pool.

We've had a house with a pool table in it. - Oh, I love it. I love it.

Compared to what we've seen, I suppose you would say the interiors are a little dated.

Keeping in mind it's a holiday home.

What would you do to this space?

- The kitchen, it's quite liveable, but I would probably go for a modern kitchen with modern appliances.

- So I'll let you have a look upstairs, because there is something that I want you to have a look at.

Of course, please have a look at the main bedroom. The view is wonderful, but there's also a mediaroom there.

And I'm just curious to see if you think that you could use that maybe as a library or a study.

But have a look. The stairs― - Or leave as a media room.

- Who am I to say you should change it?

- So long as there's somewhere to have a library.

- This is going to be interesting. - OK, then.

So enjoy. Take your time. I'll see you soon.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

- Different roof. - OK, yeah.

The window is a little bit small, but I think you could probably put a larger window on in here that's...

- Yeah, it loses a bit of its view,

but it's still gone with the nautical theme with the window behind us.

- Bit like a cabin. - A cabin in a boat, which is a really interesting design.

- The media room, we could convert to a library.

- Yeah, we could do something with that.

We could turn it into a library.

So it's got potential there, and it's also got great potential for kids.

- Well, let's just go and check out the deck. - OK.

- Here we go. Lovely established deck. - Goodness me. Beautiful.

- What did you think of upstairs? Would you keep the media room as that,

or could it possibly be a library? - I think it'd be a library.

- We don't need a media room, do we? - Oh, I don't know about that.

- And now we come out here and hello, Queensland.

- Yeah, certainly with the palm trees, but also the wonderful deck.

- It's a big deck for the canals.

They often don't have as big a deck as this.

- Of course you have straight to the boat. - Straight on to the boat.

- Straight on to your boat. Where's your boat? - Still to come.

- Sorry, let's deal with the house first. Let's deal with the house first.

Now, look, I do want to get to the price of this house because I think you'll like it.

Have a whirl. What do you think it's on the market for?

- Hmm, one, 1.5 to 1.55.

You're right.

You're right.

- I think the pricing is pretty much where it should be.

- I think that's a really positive thing because we could deck out the kitchen

in a style that we like and fit modern appliances

and certainly do up the bedrooms and put in lots of bookshelves.

I think that's a good thing.

- Talk about the pros and cons of each of our three homes,

because I think all three are currently contenders.

- Yep. - And we'll catch up when you're good and ready,

and let us know if you've made a decision. - All right.

- Fantastic. - Good on you. Take care. - Thank you very much.

- We always have fun, don't we? It's always good.

Well, what a lovely day in Paynesville.

It was beautiful even when it was raining this morning.

And it's cleared to a gorgeous afternoon.

I don't think of those three houses, we have a strong lead.

What do you think?

For me, I hate to say it, but I liked all three as well.

Sorry, no help here.

So let's see if they make a decision when we catch up.

What do you think, little ducky?

- Di and Duncan, you have to admit, are spoiled for choice.

Three houses being really strong contenders.

So let's grab a vino and see which house they have chosen.

Alrighty. It's cocktail hour somewhere in the world.

- Lovely to see you. - Cheers. - You as well. Yes, cheers.

- Paynesville and your beautiful life here.

Have you had a good chat? - We have.

Gee, we were up until quite late last night, really discussing what we would do.

- Really? So if we go through house number one,

purpose built for grandchildren, how did you feel about that one?

- Well, that one we really liked because you could move into it tomorrow knowing everything's done.

It's very established.

And their entertainment area also had so much to offer.

- That was tricked out. - Right down to the water.

- House number two. Now that was very modern. Am I able to say that? That was brand new.

How did you feel about that one?

- As you know, I fell in love with the bookcases.

I just thought there was such potential.

I just love being surrounded by books.

I think that that would be fabulous. But there was still fair bit of work to be done.

We're not the greatest of gardeners, and as you know, we're in Melbourne quite a bit.

- Yeah, you're still working. - We don't have a lot of time to do that,

so it was probably a disadvantage. But I really loved that as well.

- And then house number three. Boom. Under budget.

Have some fun. - It's closer to town.

It's got what I said to Di last night, really good bones.

It's under budget, but it wouldn't take a lot to get it to what we want to do.

And it's also a good children's home with the upstairs areas and the media room and the billiards, Di.

- That would be the... - What, Di? - ...library?

- Yeah. Yeah. OK.

So you love all three?

- Yeah, absolutely. - Yes. - What do you think you'll do?

Because I also cannot see which one is the one that really got the hook on the heart,

because all three were so fabulous.

- Well, after the odd glass of wine last night and thinking about it,

because they're all in great positions, they've all got the water view.

The thing that we really like was the north facing, which was number two.

We've thought about it. We're going to make an offer and just see how we go.

But some of the work that would have to be done, we don't have to do it immediately.

We could do it over a couple of years.

- We love our bookshop owners.

And I really can see you having a cup of tea, reading your books at house number two.

So I brought you a little treat from my farm.

This is some honey from our farm... - Beautiful. - Beautiful.

- ...to pop into your tea or to have your toast in the morning while you read your books.

And thank you so very much for allowing us to have a little view of your slice of heaven.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

- Thank you very much. - Thanks for coming.

- I had such a wonderful time with Di and Duncan.

I adore them, and I know that they will feel right at home

with all of their books and all that space for their family

when they come to visit. We wish you all the very best.

www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023