Photos via Mat Johnson
Adelaide Block star Mat Johnson is moving on to his next renovation adventure, not long after finishing third on the 2025 season of the hit reality tv show.
Competing on the show with best friend Robby, the pair brought strong personalities to The Block, Mat primarily focusing on styling the home while Robby took care of the trade work. Now that the season has wrapped up, Mat is back to work in his saloon, MJ by Mat Johnson in Norwood.
Buying a church may sound a bit odd at first, but for Mat, it’s something he’s had planned for over a decade. It took years of searching to find the perfect fit, and when opportunity came knocking one day in his hair salon, he took the leap.
”I can’t tell you the reason I wanted a church or the need that I wanted one,” he said. “But it’s been a goal that I’ve had for years.”
“It’s unique for other people but not for me.”
Six weeks ago, that long-held idea suddenly became reality. Scrolling online on a Friday morning, the church listing appeared. A quick phone call to his agent and he then discovered the auction for the building was in just two hours time.
“I’m a working hairdresser,” Mat said. “He’s like, ‘Can you come have a look at it now?’ I’m like, ‘No, I can’t because I’m at work, I’ve got clients.’”
Instead, he registered to take place in the auction over the phone, put his AirPods in, while cutting someones hair and bought the church.
“Because I’ve been looking for so long, I knew what I wanted” he said. “I could tell by the structure and everything that it was sound. Properties like this don’t come up very often, structurally sound, ideal location, on land with an incredible view. I knew I had to have it there and then.”
The vision was part of a wider plan, a property by the beach, an oasis along the river, a high-rise in the city and a church in a country town. “ That way when I’m older, I can just float around like an urban gypsy to different places.”
The church is located in Brinkworth, just 20 minutes from Clare, in the Mid North region and was built in the early 1900s using sandstone blocks. “It’s a blank canvas,” he said. “Ideally I’d love to put a mezzanine level in, a serviceable kitchen and bathroom, something functional. The building will speak for itself.”
Although the building is a church, the plans aren’t to hold services or funerals, instead it will be accommodation, and as of yet no plans or building contracts. “I’m not a religious man, but I’m very spiritual,” he said. “A building like that is history, it celebrates birth, death and marriage.”
The church was decommissioned in 1997 and has sat mainly untouched ever since. Now, with local planners and trades already reaching out, the project feels bigger than just a renovation.
“It is a dying town,” Mat said. “I want to breathe life back into it and support local businesses.”
Before anything begins, Mat has plans to chat with the locals and listen to the community. “I’m going to meet with the locals and find out everything,” he said. “I want to build trust and respect. I don’t want them thinking some whacko from TV is just coming in.”
Mat will be sharing his journey on his Instagram page will has already racked up 12.5 thousand followers.
Right now, Mat is focusing on his newest adventure of all: becoming a dad. “It’s all happening at once,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier.”
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