Locals share off-camera moments as Daylesford becomes The Block's new star

Season 21 is based in Daylesford, Victoria, and locals, including Hepburn Shire Council mayor Don Henderson, have noticed the TV attention has brought a lot of interest to the town - particularly with more than two million people tuning in to an episode.

"It's pretty good stuff," he said.

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This season of Channel 9's long-running show sees Scott Cam and Shelley Craft in hosting duties, while the judges are Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer, and Marty Fox.

Daylesford is set in a luscious landscape just a 90-minute drive from Melbourne. It is among the few places where you can find Australia's natural mineral springs, and has become a hotspot for spas and wellness.

There are several galleries and studios to explore, and it is known as the LGBTQIA+ capital of regional Victoria, hosting ChillOutFestival, Australia's longest-running regional pride festival.

Its traditional owners are the Dja Dja Wurrung people, and the town experienced a population boom after gold was discovered in 1851.

Today Daylesford is home to about 3400 residents, and according to Domain, the average price for a three-bedroom home is $820,000.

In this series, the contestants are building homes from scratch on a block that forms part of Hygge Property's new neighbourhood, Middleton Field, on the corner of Raglan Street and Malmsbury Road.

Most of the filming happened earlier this year, but the final sale is yet to come.

Besides the show's entourage staying in local accommodation, Mr Henderson was excited that the cast worked on other sites, including for a bathroom challenge at the Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa, where visitors can bathe in natural mineral waters, and on an upcoming revived cinema.

Mr Henderson said the stars he'd met, including Mr Cam, were "very good".

"Mind you, I must say they've been on their best behaviour when they're talking to the mayor," he said.

Mr Henderson, a former building tradesman, said the project had been of interest to him and had inspected the work with "different eyes".

"The quality of the work is actually very good... but the workmanship has been very well supervised."

Artists David and Yuge Bromley are among the co-owners of The Phoenix at The Rex in Daylesford, a Spanish colonial-style building opened in 1929 and home to the upcoming Phoenix Cinema.

It's under renovation, and The Block's stars lent their skills to the project including working on the candy bar area, plus installing bench seating, painting, and putting up wallpaper.

Mr Bromley said there was a lot less drama than what people see on-screen.

"When you watch it on the TV, you're like, 'my God, they're freaking out or they're stretched'... but I thought every single one of them was delightful," he said.

"It was like they were having a good time; competitive, yes, but throughout there seemed to be a great rapport and sense of teamwork."

Boltons Takeaway is a street away from The Block site, and owner Leanne Bolton said many of the tradies had come through. She recalls Scott Cam ordering a cheeseburger with barbecue sauce.

"I tried to leave him alone because everybody else was hounding him, but he was polite," she said.

As someone born and raised in Daylesford, she recommended visitors with children go to Jubilee Lake for a picnic, while foodies were spoiled for choice with dining options.

Artist Cristina Doyle has a gallery and studio at the back of her house off the main street.

She'd noticed some extra foot traffic from The Block, with a group of people who'd come up for a look at the construction site wandering around and popping in.

Ms Doyle has lived in Daylesford for seven years, but has visited for 35 to catch up with family.

"Daylesford has got a very clear air, and it's a very good community. It's an ideal place to create; you haven't got the general buzz of a city," she said.

"I've got a great group of really interesting, entrepreneurial friends that have helped to build an interesting town."

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