Trouble in paradise no more. The Block overcomes ‘massive’ rural challenge amid trade, supply issues

In 2003, it was a 73-square-metre space in Bondi. This year, it's 500 square metres with pools and chook sheds in regional Victoria. Photo: TND

Late last year, Nine’s building renovation juggernaut The Block was on track for another massive cash windfall for its contestants.

At the time, with the Reserve Bank suggesting interest rate hikes were unlikely to rise before 2024, the show embarked on its most ambitious project ever, with the decision to go rural for the first time in the show’s 18-year history.