My Sister and the Sea
Surrounded by the stunning Marion Bay, My Sister and The Sea is an Airbnb venture by two sisters that embraces simple and slow holidays immersed in nature.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson | Photography: Marnie Hawson
Five years ago, sisters Emma Read and Sarah Hall found a cute, little weatherboard house in Marion Bay, that seemed to call them directly. The house was originally a kit home from Sweden brought down to the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia in the 1950s. But when the sisters spotted it on realestate.com, they began to imagine it as a new holiday spot for both their families.
Not dissuaded by the four-hour drive from their homes, the pair decided to look at the property. The Marion Bay weatherboard cottage needed a little TLC — namely removing the lime green walls and marbled veneer cabinetry — but the sisters could see the gem underneath and the gorgeous natural surroundings.
“When we explored the natural wild landscape around [the cottage] —Innes National Park, which is filled with crystal clear swimming beaches, a string of lighthouses, incredible sunsets and the stars at night— we were hooked and couldn't believe this cottage, nestled in the township was on the doorstep of all of this beauty,” they share. “The sweet old wooden jetties an added bonus!”
The sister had attended Sarah Andrews’ ‘The Hosting Masterclass’. “Mainly because we wanted to meet her and her team,” the sisters laugh. However, this paid off with Sarah becoming a good friend and one of their biggest supporters. After the Masterclass, Emma and Sarah started hunting for the perfect little shack to rent out, but it was one summer in their Marion Bay holiday home that they realised they were already ready to go!
Eclectic vintage finds can be founds in every corner of My Sister and the Sea. Photo - Marnie Hawson.
The weatherboard house is full of pieces sisters Emma Read and Sarah Hall have collected throughout the years. Photo - Marnie Hawson.
The interior features well-worn floorboards, blue and white ticking, a sunny kitchen, local ceramics, a big outdoor deck with old school party lights and an outdoor hot water clawfoot bath for bathing under a starry sky. Photo - Marnie Hawson.
“We think [our kids] memories here will be of days spent by the fire doing puzzles; the wild weather walks, homemade doughnuts and canoeing around to secret beaches.”
Kitchen details at My Sister and the Sea. Photo - Marnie Hawson.
My Sister and the Sea was originally a kit home transported from Sweden and brought down to Marion Bay by its first owners. Photo - Marnie Hawson.
Before going into business, Emma and Sarah made sure that the relationship came first, and nothing is more serious than to jeopardise this. “We respect and understand that we work differently and mostly we just have heaps of fun,” they add. “If it's not fun… that's when we know we can surely find someone who loves it.”
The white weatherboard cottage retains its distinctive Swedish aesthetic, while the sisters added the unique colour and texture palette of Marion Bay — straw-coloured grasses, navy seas, the sage greens, and linen coloured neutrals. To complement their environment, Emma and Sarah introduced oil paintings and whimsical treasures alongside large daybeds, linen bedding and vintage glassware.
Above all, really, it’s the memories to be made that influence the soft and cosy cottage. Décor to inspire lazy days either at the beach exploring shipwrecks, or cosy afternoons next to the fire on one of their many day beds. As the sisters share their perfect day, “waking up late on a sunny Saturday, taking a coffee out on the deck, laying around on the daybed with a book, afternoon swims, playing cards and doing a puzzle, then an outdoor bath before slipping into the linen sheets whilst listening to the waves drifting off to sleep.”
My Sister and The Sea sounds like the perfect escape from the city — a spot for retreating, resting, and spending time in simple nature.
“We loved the house even though it was four hours from our homes and initially dismissed as too far; we made the effort to look at it together, and there was no going back,” say sisters Emma Read and Sarah Hall. Marnie Hawson.
Bedroom details at My Sister and the Sea. Marnie Hawson.
“Nothing is important enough in business to impact the relationship which we will have for a lifetime.”
Bedroom details at My Sister and the Sea. Marnie Hawson.
The quaint bathroom space at My Sister and the Sea. Marnie Hawson.
“We think [our kids] memories here will be of days spent by the fire doing puzzles; the wild weather walks, homemade doughnuts, summer lagoon swims, canoeing around to secret beaches and no screens,” say sisters Emma Read and Sarah Hall. Marnie Hawson.