Danny Wallis and The Block judge Marty Fox reunite off screen

The Block judge and serial bidder Danny Wallis turned Melbourne’s market on its head, with a $3.9m Albert Park double auction. Picture: Whitefox Media

Block judge Marty Fox has sold two Albert Park homes owned by serial bidder Danny Wallis, completing a real-world double that unfolded before packed weekend auction crowds.

Fox, founder and director of Whitefox, handled both auctions on Saturday morning in a rare back-to-back run.

The sales reunited two of The Block’s most recognisable figures, one who calls the bids and another who made his name placing them.

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The first, at 9 Herbert St, drew four to five bidders before the hammer fell $170,000 above reserve at just over $2.1m.

The double-fronted brick home occupies a 184sq m corner site with three street frontages, Mr Fox said it one of the few of its kind to reach the market in 2025.

“Danny’s a meticulous guy, incredibly detail-oriented and one of the sharpest property investors I’ve met,” he said.

The Block judge Marty Fox with serial bidder Danny Wallis and Pete Mitchell, celebrating the $3.9m double deal that had Melbourne talking.

The open-plan living zone at 97 St Vincent St captures the precision and polish behind Danny Wallis’s newest Albert Park build.

“He’s got high expectations, as everyone saw on The Block, but he’s also an absolute professional who understands the process and respects the work that goes into getting a result.”

About an hour later, Fox fronted another crowd at 97 St Vincent St, where Wallis had completed a brand-new two-bedroom build with $1.5m-$1.6m price hopes.

The home featured solid Victorian-ash floors, quartz-stone benchtops, American-oak joinery and Miele appliances, along with heated bathroom flooring and zoned ducted cooling.

Sleek stone benchtops and Miele appliances anchor the chef’s kitchen, a showcase of Wallis’s detail-driven approach to contemporary design.

Underfloor heating, oak accents and clean lines give the bathrooms a luxury-hotel finish in Wallis’s latest architectural project.

After a brief pause when the property passed in, the Whitefox director negotiated directly with interested buyers to close a $1,795,000.45 sale.

“Considering it’s only a 95-square-metre block, that’s an incredible outcome, a classic Danny Wallis success story,” Mr Fox said.

The double sale adds another chapter to Wallis’s long association with The Block.

Sliding glass doors open to a private courtyard that blends indoor and outdoor living, a hallmark of Albert Park’s new wave of builds.

American oak joinery and quartz stone finishes frame a minimalist facade that brings modern edge to one of Albert Park’s classic streets.

The IT entrepreneur turned philanthropist has spent more than $40m on homes from the series over the past decade, often donating them to children’s charities through his “healing homes” program.

Wallis is equally famous for his bidding style, known for finishing offers with odd figures such as $1.01 or $0.99, though in Albert Park, he settled for $1,795,000.45.

Fox, who joined the judging panel full time in 2023, said the results showed confidence returning to Melbourne’s prestige market.

The double-fronted corner home at 9 Herbert St sold $170,000 above reserve, marking the first half of the $3.9m double act.

Both Albert Park properties sold under Whitefox director and The Block judge Marty Fox, who called back-to-back auctions for Danny Wallis’s prestige portfolio.

“Melbourne is still the fourth most affordable capital city in Australia,” he said.
“Investors who moved to Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth are now looking back here. Competition is heating up and I think we’ll see that roll right through into 2026.”

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