Original subtitles

Captions by Able.

'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.

'Today I am in Australia's capital, Canberra,

'helping our couple, Andrew and Pam, make their move

'from the nearby town of Yass.

'Now, they're after plenty of room for guests to stay

'and loads of garden space for our resident horticulturalist, Andrew.'

- That's pretty special. - It is pretty special. That's a good cherry on top.

'Come with us as we tour three great contenders

'for their move to Canberra.'

So what do you think you'll do?

- I think we've made a decision.

- Welcome to one of the most beautiful country regions in Australia.

We are just outside of our nation's capital, Canberra,

where the towns are full of history, full of charm,

and you are right on the edge of amazing restaurants

and serious culture. No wonder today's couple love this region.

They actually already live not too far from where I am right now,

but they want to move closer to the capital for work and family reasons.

They are looking for their forever home.

On the wish list, a house with character,

maybe a few bedrooms, a little bit of land.

The budget, 1.7.

I think they are going to love the houses I have lined up for them.

- What are we doing in Canberra? - Well, you're from here.

- I'm born and bred in Canberra.

I met Pam in the US while I was working

as the head groundskeeper for the Australian ambassador. We moved back here 15 years ago.

- 2005. - 15 years ago. 17 years ago. - No, 17. 2005.

'The reason we wanted to move to Canberra is I grew up outside of New York City,

'so in northern New Jersey. It's really quite busy there.

'And when I met Andrew, he always wanted to come back to Canberra.'

We knew it was a bit more quiet.

This is why we chose it, less hustle and bustle.

We wanted a big space and we wanted to live in the country.

We grew up in the 'burbs, so we wanted our space

and we love to entertain.

- We have a daughter who was born not long after we moved back to Australia.

- Bridie's always gone to school in Canberra. She plays lots of volleyball, every night a week.

She's in three different leagues. The commute was getting to be a bit much.

- The ability to perhaps be somewhere closer

is a good idea. - Yeah. Yeah.

- 'Welcome to our nation's capital, Canberra,

'located a three-hour drive southwest of Sydney.

'Canberra is the traditional land of our nation's first people, the Ngunnawal people.

'It's a househunters' wonderland of world-class art,

'breathtaking nature, while also offering plenty of fantastic bars

'and the coolest restaurants. Canberra is masterfully designed

'for liveability for its locals,

'making it the perfect choice for Andrew, Pam

'and their teenage daughter, Bridie.

'It is time to show our couple through our first property.

'It's a character-filled home with loads of features, which I know our couple will love.'

Come on in out of the rain. Come and join me.

So, Andrew... - Yeah.

And Pam from New Jersey. - Correct. New Joisey. Yes.

New Joisey.

I'm just curious. You're moving from one of my favourite country towns, Yass.

Why would you like to be closer to Canberra? - We wanted to move to somewhere

a bit more special. This is gonna be somewhere we'll live for the next 30 to 40 years.

- OK. Just remind me - what's on the wish list?

- We have a lot of visitors. We like to entertain. - Of course.

- We'd like a pool. - OK.

- We play tennis. - Great. - We wanna get back into our tennis.

- I love it. OK. - He's a bit of a gardener. Should I say that?

- Yeah. I'm a horticulturalist. - Excuse me. It's a horticulturalist. - I'm a horticulturist.

This first place clearly has that garden.

What do you think of this green space?

- Oh, it's very, very nice. It's nice and low maintenance. We could do a bit of work to...

- You could have a play, but you're not tied to it. - Yeah.

You're not tied to the garden.

Would you like to come and have a look at our first house, which has bucketloads of character?

- Oh, I'd love to, Catriona. Yes. - Yeah.

Well, you wanted character.

What do you think of this, let's face it,

character-filled living area here?

- It's beautiful. It looks like they've renovated the kitchen a bit.

They've kept the timber, which is very original.

Maybe a little bit too much timber for me.

I love the timber, but maybe a bit too much. - You'd have to like timber.

- Yeah. - It's very nice. I like how it sits in the landscape here too.

- Would you like to come and have a look at the next living room

just for the fun of it, and see what you think of this place?

- Sure. Absolutely. - OK.

I really love this room and this huge open space.

The timber floorboards here.

And once again, the framing of the view is exquisite.

Could you see yourself maybe with your family here entertaining?

- Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, we're big entertainers,

so I can see us retiring into the lounge

and then walking out here for drinks. Yeah, for sure.

- It is lovely the way the doors open up onto the view

with the seating and everything here.

Who does the main cooking? Who is the main entertainer?

- Actually I am, I think. - Really? - Yeah.

- There we go. - OK.

- I can see this being a great entertaining area.

- Have a look at the internals, and when you're ready I'll see you on the veranda. OK?

- Cool. - Lovely. I'll bring the wine.

- Oh, wow. - Pretty sure you're gonna wanna change those lights.

- I think so. But listen, that's just cosmetic stuff, right?

I like this bay window, and I like the seat.

Perhaps re-upholster that. The walls we can paint.

They're already painted white, the bricks.

- I think we better head out and meet Catriona to see the view.

- See that view.

- How lovely is this view? - It's beautiful.

It's really lovely.

- On a clear day, you can actually see as far as Parliament House.

- Really lovely. - What did you think of the inside?

- It's beautiful. It's really charming. It's lovely. It really is. - Yes.

I think charming is the appropriate word for here.

I kind of love that with this outdoor space,

the view is completely maximised with this area.

But I know that for you, it's important to have an area

that you can tinker and that you can enjoy the surroundings. - No, that's exactly right.

- Considering it's on the 20 acres of land,

how much do you think it's on the market for? - I reckon 1.92.

- Yeah, I'd be saying 2 to 2.1. - Yeah

- I know that you know the area well and the demand for this area.

It is hovering around two.

- I think it's a very well-built home.

It's really beautiful. It's charming.

Probably just not our taste, really.

For us, it's a little bit over our budget.

- It would need some work done to it,

but for a house this age, that's what you would expect.

- Yeah.

- We still have two more places to show you.

- Awesome. - Ready? - Yes.

- Yeah. - Let's do it.

'Could this magnificent country property

'be Andrew and Pam's new dream home?

'Or will they be more taken by one of our remaining contenders?

'Stay with us.'

'I'm with Andrew and Pam, helping them find their dream country home

'for their move to Canberra.

'We've already looked at one amazing home,

'but now it's time to show them something totally different.'

I've brought you underneath the blossoms of Bungendore

and one of the most historic properties in this town, certainly,

and possibly in the region as well.

So I've taken you from a 1970s build

to something that's over 100 years older.

This is around 1860s. It was once the old pub.

It's even been an old nunnery.

It's across the road from a beautiful old church.

Are you OK for this much character? - Yeah, absolutely. - Yeah.

- Would you like to check it out? - Yes. Let's do it. - Lovely.

- # Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

# Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

# Ah, ah, ooh, ooh. #

- OK. Welcome to what is considered the ballroom of Bungendore.

If these walls could talk.

There has been some serious history take place in this room.

So I mentioned it was once a pub. Then it was a nunnery.

Then when it went to private hands,

this turned into the party room of the area.

This is where people would meet for dances, dinners.

So much has happened in here.

How do you feel as you walk into a room that is so large,

so much space and being the party animal that you are? - I love it.

I think of all the functions we can have. We do big Christmases.

Halloween's our major holiday we have ever year.

So I can see us decorating it, having a really fantastic time.

- I completely agree. Lots of the original touches too. It's great.

- You may be intrigued to have a look at the kitchen.

When you're ready, I will meet you in the garden, because I know that's of interest to you. Take your time.

- Sounds good. - I'll see you soon. - Thank you.

- Wow. - Wow. Wow. It's all renovated.

It looks fantastic. - Great benchtops. A beautiful sink up there.

- I've always wanted something like this.

Lovely. Really, really nice.

Oh, wow. It's like all the original brickwork in here.

- All exposed. It looks really cool. - This is the kind of brick I like.

- With the original fittings too. - Really, really nice.

And the outdoors, you can walk right out.

- Ooh, here's the garden.

- Aren't they gorgeous? - Oh, my gosh.

- Those trees have some history.

That is what you get with a beautiful country town

and a property like this.

I can't offer you acres of garden. We are on just under an acre.

I know that you probably wanna get a whipper-snipper happening here.

What do you think of this space?

- I think it's really impressive. The elms particularly.

Having lived in the States where elms have almost disappeared, to see elms of this size isgreat.

There's a Japanese maple here that's the biggest I've seen in the area.

Really, really impressive. - So considering you do have those little elements that money can't buy,

what do you think this is on the market for?

Knowing that this is a very, very popular community.

- I think this is probably a little bit less than the first house. - A little bit less.

It's different, though, because we're right in town here.

It's a lot older. 1.55 maybe.

- Maybe 1.6.

- It's actually 200 grand under your budget.

- Wow. - So it is 1.5.

- I thought it was stunning. The age of it is just incredible.

- Yeah. It was a really attractive house.

- Lots of character, charm. Lovely.

- Well, I still have a final home to show you.

It definitely has a few things that I know are on your wish list.

Are you ready to have a look? - Yeah. Very excited.

- OK. All right. Let's go and look at the last one.

'Up next I meet up with Anne,

'who shows me through GOST, the gallery of small things,

'which is a wonderful stop for any trip to Canberra.

'Then it's off to our final property

'on this house hunt through Canberra.'

'Today, I am helping Andrew and Pam find their new dream country home.

'Before setting out for our final property,

'I snuck by Anne's gallery of small things, otherwise known as GOST,

'where Anne talked me through her beautiful creations.'

Canberra has changed a lot since I was a child coming here for sport.

- Yeah. I think it's just grown up.

We've had a lot of restaurants open up, cafes, bars.

Then you've got your gallery scene.

- Yes. - We've got quite a few universities here in Canberra,

so you've got a lot of students coming

and they're lifting the scene as well.

- I'm just intrigued. This really does represent

what is happening with the Canberra of today.

Just these quirky, creative little spaces

are starting to blossom. - Yeah. - Who normally comes here?

- I get a range of visitors.

So it can be anyone from young families with young children.

I also get a lot of elderly people that come as well.

- So it used to be your laundry. - Yeah, yeah. 1960s laundry.

- I love it. Cut to today. - Yeah.

- And you represent not just yourself, but other artists too.

- Yeah, we started with 11 artists in 2017

and it's grown to 47 artists now.

- 'What I love as a traveller, because it's all small,

'I can fit it in the overhead locker.

'I can fit it in my handbag, You can grab it and go. - It's really easy.

'So it's like a carry-on size.'

- I know that you grew up in Canberra, so what's kept you here?

- There's just so much to do

that you can kind of balance work and play in Canberra.

Like a big city, country style.

Because you've got the mountains nearby so you can go for walks.

You can go to a really nice bar at night time.

- And no traffic. - And no traffic.

- 'It is now time to see house number three.

'I really think that with its architectural design

'and over 20 acres of land,

'this one, this home is sure to impress.'

I can honestly say that we have sold country properties before

according to the long and winding driveway.

What do you think of this one as you come through those gums?

- I think it's spectacular. - It's magic. - Yeah.

- You can already see from here there is a separate cottage, or studio,

currently being rented out. Passive income. Boom. Done. Sorted. - Fantastic.

- Good or bad? - Excellent. Anything that brings in extra income, that's awesome.

- That's right. - I have a lot to show you. Shall we head indoors?

- Oh, yes. - Yeah. You just wait. - Very much so.

- Pam, would I be right in saying that if you were from the States,

you would refer to this as the great room?

- Yes. We would call it the great room.

- What do you make of this space? - It's spectacular.

The cathedral ceilings with the wood, the timber,

the steel beams. - The steel beams are impressive. They're huge.

- But also, I think what's beautiful is you feel quite snugly.

We've got the open fire here and this beautiful big space

looking out to a view that I think you could really have some fun with.

You think so? - Stunning. It's pretty special.

- Is that what you're looking for? - Absolutely.

- I will show you what is out there.

But knowing how much you love to entertain,

could I just very quickly show you the next room?

- Yeah.

- Come on in here to a second entertaining space.

What do you think of this little nook that looks straight out?

- I love it. It's just bringing the outdoors in. There's so much window.

- I have something I'm really looking forward to showing you in the garden.

Take your time. When you're ready, meet me outside.

- Wow. Look at the view.

Oh, my gosh. - That's a stunning view.

- Wow.

- Nice space. - It's a lovely space.

- And then there's no en suite. - No.

And that's definitely something we want.

Oh, wow. - Ta-da!

- Look at that. Amazing. - That is pretty darn good, isn't it?

As a cherry on top. How did I go with the tennis court?

- That's pretty special. - It is pretty special. That's a good cherry on top.

How do you feel about this much space?

- Oh, this is great. It's fantastic.

- We love space. - And a nice mixture.

We've got native bushland plus some nice exotics here too.

And good fruit trees. - Yeah. - Good fruit trees as well.

What do you think they're selling it for? - I'd probably say 1.8, 1.9.

- You're right Pam, it's 1.8. So it's just over your budget.

- I think the price is pretty good.

- I think the price is really good considering what you get.

Tennis court, pool,

an architecturally designed house, 20 acres, a dam.

- There's a fair bit of things that do need to be done.

But looking at the overall package,

I think it's something that I'd be willing to put the time into.

- I'm feeling really good about today's houses.

I think that we met the brief very well. Houses with character.

In some cases, a little bit too much character. But that's OK.

I cannot wait to catch up again with our buyers, Pam and Andrew.

'I am in Canberra helping Andrew and Pam find the perfect country home.

'We have visited three gorgeous properties, all with unique features,

'and now that our couple have had some time to have a little chat,

'let's meet up with them again just to see if they've made a decision.'

OK, team. Let's have a cheeky G 'n' T together

and let's have a chat about those three character-filled homes.

I feel like we got the character right,

but we had to temper it in some spots.

With house one, there was almost too much character. Is that fair?

- I think that's probably accurate. I thought also not quite our style.

It was a little bit too countryish.

Although it was 20 acres, a lot of that 20 acres wasn't very usable.

So the space for a garden and other things was perhaps quite limited.

- OK. So what about number two,

that was full of history with that gorgeous ballroom?

- I loved it. I love the history about it.

I love the old mixed in with the new.

But I think for Andrew and I, we're looking more for a property,

where that was in town. - Which leads us to house three.

As you came down that drive, what was that like for you?

Did you feel "I'm coming home"?

- I felt very connected. I just felt it was magic.

To me, it had everything

Andrew and I have wanted and have dreamed about.

I can see this as our forever home.

- You were looking for your forever home.

So what do you think you'll do?

- I think we've made a decision,

and we definitely want to go with location three.

And we'd love to put in an offer. - Yes!

I'm very, very excited for

your future home in the country with house number three. - Thank you.

- Next party, your place in the great room. - You bet.

'Well, our couple put in their offer

'on house number three. And, yes indeedy,

'I am pleased to report that they were able to buy it.

'I am just so happy for them and their new adventures

'in Australia's beautiful capital.'

Captions by Able.