Bikkies. Free ones. That’s what sold Emma Byrnes and her husband, Pete Barrett, on a house just near Melbourne’s Merri Creek. “They were giving them out at the inspection,” she says, “and we immediately thought, ‘This place is so cosy and loving and just real.’” Of course, it wasn’t just the yummy treats that inspired the couple to turn up on auction day. There was also the fact that the house was located in Fitzroy North. “Pete’s a real urbanite, while I could live in the country or the seaside,” Emma says. “This felt like a really good compromise, because it’s tucked away among all the gumtrees and the creek is right behind us. So this has been our little urban oasis where we get access to all the good stuff.”
The house wasn’t in perfect
