The Block will begin filming in Mt Eliza next month, with work already starting to set the scene for the hit show after last year’s Daylesford auction flop. Picture: Supplied.
The Block will descend on one of the Mornington Peninsula’s most tightly held suburbs next month in an $11m gamble to save the franchise from another auction flop.
Filming begins on March 9 at 109 Old Mornington Rd, Mt Eliza, with the production set to transform the site across a near-three month build.
In a letter distributed to nearby residents, obtained by the Herald Sun, Nine said power tools would operate between 7am and 6pm on weekdays and 7am to 3pm on Saturdays, with traffic management in place along Old Mornington Rd during construction.
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The move signals a clear shift in strategy as Nine takes the format into a blue-chip, owner-occupier market where buyers are less forgiving and expectations are higher.
PropTrack data shows Mt Eliza has a median house price of $1.65m for the year to January 2026.
The suburb peaked near $1.8m during the Covid-era surge.
The Block judge Marty Fox currently launching his Whitefox’s Dubai office as industry whispers grow about a potential Celebrity Block and a bigger global play for the franchise. Picture: Instagram/Marty Fox.
Block judge and Whitefox director Marty Fox said the location lifted the stakes, with the suburb’s coastal position changing what buyers would demand.
“This is the first time The Block has had genuine ocean views, that changes the conversation with buyers,” Mr Fox said.
“Mount Eliza is a true lifestyle market, but it is also on Melbourne’s doorstep. It is an owner-occupier suburb where quality homes trade consistently.
“Location is the trump card.”
The Old Mornington Rd site in Mt Eliza, set to be transformed for The Block 2026 as the show chases a high-stakes reset. Picture: Supplied.
The Block’s Mt Eliza build site at 109 Old Mornington Rd, where filming is set to begin next month. Picture: Supplied.
Marshall White Mornington Peninsula director Dominic Salvato said the show was now playing in a price bracket where buyers expected the execution to match the postcode.
“In a location like this there is no margin for mediocrity,” Mr Salvato said.
“If you are selling into a blue-chip pocket with water views, the design must maximise them.
“Buyers at this level are purchasing a long-term asset.”
Marshall White Mornington Peninsula director Dominic Salvato says there is no margin for mediocrity in a prestige market like Mount Eliza.
MR Advocacy director and Mt Eliza resident Madeleine Roberts said previous Block seasons had not always aligned with comparable sales in their host locations, but Mt Eliza was a different proposition.
“With genuine bay views and scarcity, pricing could align more closely with the local market than in some past seasons,” Ms Roberts said.
“There’s premium, and then there’s overpaying,” Ms Roberts said.
Buyers’ advocate and Mount Eliza resident Madeleine Roberts says tight supply and bay views could mean Block pricing aligns more closely with the local market.
Host Scott Cam in a new promo for The Block 2026, set to air on Channel 9 later this year. Picture: Nine.
“If the design, fit-out and inclusions are genuinely high-end, this could be one of the few occasions where securing a Block property makes financial sense.”
An industry insider told The Herald Sun Nine’s Mt Eliza call was driven by one simple reality that prestige buyers do not forgive gimmicks, and they do not overpay for television hype.
Scott Cam returns as The Block heads into Mount Eliza in a bid to avoid another auction night disappointment. Picture: Nine.
“Last year’s Block auctions were a flop, several homes failed to sell and it was a disaster but I don’t think we’ll see a repeat of that this year,” they said.”
“Ratings are one thing and that is something Nine has going for them, but The Block has historically helped set market tone and influence trends.
“It needs to do that again, in a way that gives agents and industry professionals real confidence in the show again.”
Nine confirmed filming will run from March 9 until May 31, with the show to air it’s 22nd season on Channel 9 later this year.
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