Former The Block contestant Mat Johnson has officially started renovations on his 116-year-old church.
The star purchased the church in December 2025 in the heritage-rich township of Brinkworth, South Australia for $250,000.
Mat has teamed up with interior designer Georgie Shepherd to transform the property. His dream is to help bring visitors and subsequently money, back to a town he has described as “dying”.
“It is a dying town. I want to breathe life back into it and support local businesses.”
Mat Johnson
Thankfully, Mat is bringing his followers along for the ride. Creating an social media account dedicated to the church revival, which has ammassed 28.5k followers already.
“Join me on a fabulous journey from The Block to transforming a country church into a vibrant home! Expect laughs, drama, & fabulous vibes!” the account reads.
The former Anglican church, known as St Mary Magdalene’s, is a heritage property built in 1910 and was listed as “a piece of South Australian history”. It boasts period craftsmanship and architectural details crying out to be preserved – from leadlight glass windows to double timber doors – with Mat seemingly the perfect person for the job, given the eye for design he showcased on the series.
As one half of Adelaide-based best-mate duo Mat and Robby, the pair became fan favourites throughout the 21st season thanks to their good humour and memorable antics. While they were tipped to be in the running to win – bolstered by bold moves including a winning kitchen and a wine cellar – it wasn’t meant to be.
They didn’t fare as badly as the two couples who left empty-handed, but the boys did walk away with relatively modest winnings of $109,999 (split between them) when Danny Wallis bought House 5 for $3,099,999, particularly when compared to the 2024 contestants who all made lucrative sales thanks to billionaire Adrian Portelli purchasing all five properties.
As Adrian famously declared, he wasn’t returning in 2025, having joined forces with rival network Channel 7 and their soon-to-launch revamped version of My Reno Rules in 2026. The move left teams Han and Can, and Emma and Ben, still waiting for their homes to sell. New parents Emma and Ben have since sold their own home, with The Block outcome falling short of their hopes.
There’s still potential for all contestants to make the most of their moment in the spotlight – and it seems Mat is firmly continuing the renovation ride, with enormous potential in this latest purchase for a beautiful transformation and a big sale, if all goes to plan.
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