Restoration Australia on ABC and ABC iview S7E3 – From a grubby hostel on a busy city street to a creaking, spartan weatherboard in remote countryside, and a raft of daunting restorations in between, the challenges of saving Australia’s heritage homes is a test of willpower, ingenuity, bank balances and relationships. Architecture expert Anthony Burke takes us deep into these passion projects in this brand-new series of Restoration Australia.
Episode Three
Mel and Chris have only ever known life in Australia’s biggest city. They both grew up in Sydney, landed their jobs as emergency workers and eventually thought about finding homes of their own but like so many young workers, the city’s escalating prices only ever headed one way – out of reach. Enough was enough so they each pulled the escape cord and landed postings in the bustling regional city of Orange.
That’s where they met, fell in love and discovered Orange had plenty the city had to offer and more – beautiful fresh produce, great cafes, plenty of entertainment – and next to none of the traffic snags, urban grime and pollution. The skies were big, the air was clear, and they could cycle and abseil in readily accessible, wide-open spaces. They could also afford a house and set their sights on a period home they could restore and extend for a future family.
They found a sweet, free-standing Edwardian fixer-upper right in town named Bega and they decided if they were going to rescue it and add to it they would do so precisely in keeping with the period, including their extension.
Anthony Burke heads to this vibrant NSW centre to follow Chris and Mel’s very particular and very faithful plan to make Bega 2.0, Edwardian, front to extended-back. But is it a good idea and can these novices balance demanding shift work with the financial and logistical challenges of restoring an old home?
Production credit:
Commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. A Freemantle production. Supervising Executive Producer: Brooke Bayvel. Executive Producer: Michael Collette. ABC Commissioning Editor: Jo Chichester.
Restoration Australia on ABC and ABC iview – Thursday 17 April at 8.00pm
TV Central ABC content HERE
Restoration Australia on ABC and ABC iview S7E3
