Potential First Home Owner Without Genuine Savings

I have spoken to a couple of people and so far have only received either conflicting or unclear advice on this, so I'm looking for something definitive – or to be referred on to someone who can help!

I'm looking at buying a block of land in regional Victoria and building a house on it. The land is pretty cheap, and I don't need a big house so all up I'd need less than $180K, including all the costs, fees and charges. So far, it all sounds pretty straight forward.

The catch is, I moved back to Australia from overseas within the past year. I work in the building industry, and my savings got wiped out by the GFC when I had to live on next to nothing in London for a year and a half. I'm currently renting, paying much more than I would expect any potential mortgage payments to be and still reasonably comfortable, but getting myself set up with all the necessaries of a household here has meant that I still don't really have savings at the moment.

My plan for building would see me qualify for up to $26,500 in first home owner grant, including the bonus for building, and being in a regional area, which would more than cover the necessary 10%+ deposit. In theory, I would be able to borrow the remainder from a bank, although the advice I have received so far is unclear on this, because it all comes back to not having savings, and having been in my current job for less than a year, not to mention my current address.

So my question is this: Are there any lenders out there who would treat the FHOG as my non-genuine savings, and allow me a loan? Or do I need to go back to the drawing board – literally, in my case – and get my savings in order before moving forward? Any and all advice on this would be much appreciated.

Thanks!