A Motel Transformed by Community

The humble motel is a stalwart of Australian travel. Whether you’ve stayed in one or not, you’ve certainly driven past them on your way into tourist towns around the country. There’s a trend up and down the coast to purchase these retro accommodation beauties and transform them into modern holiday oases – some become ultra chic modern reinventions of their previous selves, while others pay humble homage to the past. When Jess and Dave Frid became the owners of The Sunseeker in Byron Bay, they dreamt up a vision to honour the past, embrace the future and celebrate local community. What they have created is not only a beautiful place for travellers to rest their heads, but a true coming together of what makes this town and this area so great – a place full to the brim with vibrant, inspiring and imaginative creative makers, artists and craftspeople.

Words by:
Nat Woods @nat.woods_

Photography by:
Lila Theodoros @studio.musemuse

Jess and Dave insist that the creation of The Sunseeker can’t just be attributed to them. “The Sunseeker is a true representation of what’s amazing about Byron, the creative community and collaboration,” says Jess. Rather than hide the 80s past of the original motel beneath a monochrome and beige trendy refresh, Dave and Jess have chosen to bring together a team of local creatives to create a holiday experience that is both nostalgic and modern, vibrant and subtle, artsy and tropical. 

Even though it’s clear that Jess and Dave have had a hand in every aspect of The Sunseeker’s reinvention, they say they couldn’t have done it without the community of creatives to draw inspiration from as well as their interior guru, Julia Ashwood, of The Vista and Eltham Pub, and their “creative sha(wo)man” creative producer and artist, Tory Bauer. Local creative studio Muse Muse also created the project brand, weaving The Sunseeker visual branding into even the tiniest of features.

Perhaps the only way to best describe the result of this creative collaboration is to walk you through The Sunseeker. Come with me …

Walking up to the front entrance, your well-travelled feet step onto the mosaic slate pathway that curves from the kerb right through to the lobby and lounge. Remember how I said that everything has been carefully considered? This path was created from the slate tiles removed from the original motel rooms and lovingly smashed up and ‘crazy paved’. Waste not, want not! Inside reception you’re greeted by a mural artist Nate Pickering. Take a few steps further into the lobby and you’ll arrive at a cosy lounge with curated library by Lora Ward of Good Publishings, a fireplace created from bricks again removed from other parts of the original motel, a lamp lady by Anna Karina Elias and a stunning sculpture by local artist and environmentalist, Jess Leitmanis, who works with marine ropes that have washed ashore locally.

Weave your way along the palm tree-lined boardwalk, past the original (and amazing!) curvaceous slate and pebblecrete pool with new ochre red cement surrounds, and you’ll find the rooms where the 80s interiors have been completely replaced by modern easy holiday living. Beautiful custom timber beds and lounges by Interior Blank have been adorned with custom upholstery by Paige Miller of The Dusty Road and sit alongside CHUB stools by Jack Fearon (in signature Sunseeker red, of course). Art in the rooms include handmade ceramic sun faces by Amy Lee Worthy, custom sun worship flags by Sarah Harvey and poster art by Studio Muse Muse. And I can’t let you leave the rooms without drawing your attention to the incredible kitchen benches by Brisbane-based Five Mile Radius. Made from excess concrete from construction sites which would otherwise go to waste, these benches have meant that The Sunseeker has rescued 2,420 kilograms (or 1 cubic metre) of concrete from being poured into landfill. Of course, it wouldn’t be Byron Bay if, while waiting for your toast to cook, you couldn’t brush your hand over a rose quartz or amethyst inlaid into the recycled concrete. Sounds ridiculous. Looks and feels amazing.

Drag yourself away from the crystal-infused sustainable concrete bench and take a wander down to the back of the property where the original bungalows sit. Dave and Jess tell me that their builders (local sustainable building experts, Balanced Earth) painstakingly sanded the timber panelling on the exteriors of the bunglows by hand(!) to reveal the beautiful natural grain beneath. The result is a row of California-style beach bungalows each with their own deck, BBQ and outdoor bath and shower. And all of this is surrounded by the lush landscaping of Land Company who have turned the property into a tropical enclave.

There are a lot of stereotypes that fly around about Byron Bay and I’m sure many tourists come here with those stereotypes in mind, so to have accommodation in the heart of town that showcases and celebrates the wonderful creativity and collaboration of this region is such a blessing and treat. I hope tourists and locals alike can come holiday at The Sunseeker and feel the love that has gone into every single detail for years to come.