It's back to the real world for our Blockheads: We caught up with the 2012 couples before the auctions to discuss their plans for life after The Block.

"We are based in Newcastle, so we'll be going back home," said Brad.

"I talked to my school today," said Lara, who works as a PE teacher. "I was supposed to be back this Monday. It doesn't give me much time, but we can't really afford to not go back. We both want to go on a little holiday, but we can't afford to."

Well, we have a sneaking suspicion that's changed since their massive windfall at this weekend's auction (where they took home over $600,000 and a car!).

While Brad and Lara were getting ready to get back to work, Dani and Dan had their bags packed for Thailand.

"We are going to have a couple of weeks off," Dani said.

"It will be good to do nothing," Dan added. "To be honest, though, I think we'll still be pretty wired and we'll not be able to relax."

After their holiday, it’d be back to their apartment in Richmond, coincidentally located in front of last year's Block houses.

It was back to work for Mike and Andrew though.

"We need to start earning money," said Andrew, who works as a builder. "I have a job lined up for when I get back, and they've been ringing me up to find out when I can start."

Mike, who works as a handyman, was also in demand. "I have a couple of clients who have been calling me about when I can start back," he said.

Although they all knew it would be hard to transition back into their old lives — Dale returned to his landscaping business, and Sophie to her primary school class — most of them were eager to get back to normal after the madness of The Block.

"We are ready to have a normal day," Dale said. "A normal day's work will be like having a holiday compared with what it's been like in here. It's just insane. But I'm sure as much as we're ready to slow down, it will be weird too."