The Block 2019: Meet Tess and Luke

We get to know the Queensland newlyweds

TESS, 28, & LUKE, 30
After four failed attempts, these young gun newlyweds from Cairns are FINALLY on The Block

Experience Level
You know what they say: if at first you don’t get on, apply, apply again. This couple from Far North Queensland, who have applied for the program four years in a row, have practical know-how and “go get em” attitude.
“This year we had so much other stuff going on. We were getting married, and lots of other stuff was happening, so we just did our application and thought no more about it,” says Tess, one half of The Block’s youngest team this year. “Then when we got the first call up we lost our minds.”


After the fourth attempt Luke and Tess are finally on The Block!

Tess, 28
Tess has been with Luke for eight years, after meeting him at a music festival. She abused him when he stood on her foot at an Art V Science gig. “I remember I grabbed him by the shirt, pulled him back and said a few choice words,” Tess laughs.
After the rocky start they reconnected a few weeks later, he apologised, and it’s been love ever since.
Young, motivated and full of good ideas, organised Tess is always up for a challenge. Recently she changed her life completely, leaving her 10-year job as a hairdresser to pursue a career in sales at the Cairns Post.
Tess is looking forward to starting married life amidst the rubble and dirt of The Block, and though she admits she can sometimes be “hot-headed and not afraid of confrontation” she’s glad she has Luke to balance her out.


Newlyweds Tess and Luke are looking forward to starting married life amidst the rubble and dirt.

Luke, 30
Luke might look like your typical tradie from Far North Queensland but, according to new wife Tess, he’s a total softie at heart. Ask about their gorgeous engagement story and you’ll find out first hand. “It was bloody romantic,” Luke admits, “you might need a box of tissues.”
Luke has been renovating houses professionally since he was a teenager. He bought his first place with his brother and sister when he was just 16. Since then he’s renovated another Queenslander with his brother, and he and Tess have just completed their most recent project up the road.
“Rats wouldn’t even live in there, it was that bad when we bought it,” Luke says.
Easygoing yet driven and determined, he’s great with a budget and an absolute wizard at saving money. Though he tends to go quiet when annoyed, it’s A-OK because he’s got Tess to fire up for the both of them. “But you don’t want us both fired up. That’s when it’s really explosive,” he says.


Tradie luke soaking up some of that North Queensland sun with his wife and their dog Tilly.

Together
Tess and Luke were so sure they were right for The Block when they first applied they were more than a little miffed when they didn’t get on.
“The first time we applied we couldn’t believe they didn’t pick us. I was almost dirty at them,” Tess laughs. “But we got over it, and the last two years we’ve watched the show more intently, really studied it. Not with the hope of getting on The Block, more so for the knowledge.”
It’s knowledge they now plan to put to good use. The couple, who have just completed a Queenslander renovation, have grand plans to become professional fixer-uppers.
“Our ultimate goal is to flip houses,” says Tess. “That would be our dream, to be able to afford to do that, because there’s no way it can happen if we aren’t successful on The Block.”
If the track record of these self-confessed stubborn competitors is anything to go by, they’ve got the drive and determination to go far in the competition, having lived through two renovations together, staying up to get things done.
“There was a stage in our lives when Luke was working in Townsville, which is a four-hour drive south of Cairns, Monday to Friday, and coming home on Friday night to work on the house,” Tess says. “We’d renovate until all hours and then he would drive back to Townsville on Monday morning.”
They thrive on the stress of a deadline. “We work pretty well under pressure,” Tess says. “Only because we tend to leave everything to the last minute. It means we don’t second-guess ourselves.”
“That’s when we produce our best work,” Luke says.
Looks like these two are on the right show.




Follow Tess and Luke's Block journey HERE for all their completed rooms and shop their style

As we near the end of the comp, Tess reflects on her time on The Block. Her answers may surprise you! Find out more HERE

Take a tour of Tess and Luke's finished Block home!
A wrap up of all the room results and images HERE