A Tiny Piece of Paradise: Eyre Way

A love of travelling off-grid, inspired Tim and Amanda Hogg to build their very own tiny home on the coast of South Australia. Their tiny home, Yambara, offers visitors a raw and rugged escape with panoramic views of the Eyre Peninsula, designed with nature and the environment in mind.

Our names are Tim and Amanda Hogg and we are the founders of EYRE.WAY. We are a family of five,our children are India – six, Elka – three and Jybah – one and a half. Tim owns a local plumbing business and is very handy when it comes to building and construction. He renovated our 1970’s pink caravan on his own which is our family holiday home on wheels. I am a primary school teacher but since having children has found a new love that really makes her heart sing. We feel together we make a great team, and this project is full of everything we love in one.

We began EYRE.WAY early in 2021 and finished the construction of Yambara (our first tiny home) in November 2021. We are days away from launching our second tiny abode Maldhi which we are beyond excited about. It will be a striking contrast to Yambara.

We have lived in Port Lincoln for almost 10 years and just adore where we live, we spend our weekends and holidays exploring in our caravan and boat. We stumbled across this land through the owner who is actually my beautician. We told her our concept of building Tiny Homes but not having any land to put them on. She replied “Did you know we own a beach? You could put it down there.”

We really don’t have design backgrounds we just have a love of design and are self-taught. We are passionate and feel a sense of calm, contentment and positive energy when doing anything to do with design. I remember some of my most beautiful childhood memories would be to search though my Nanna’s old Better Home and Gardens magazine to create collages of my dream homes.

Eyre Way’s “Tiny Abodes” have been inspired by the landscapes they are surrounded by. Neutral tones coupled with materials that provide a sense of warmth and sophistication will help the intended guests relax during their short stays. Plenty of glazing to take in the breath-taking scenery, crisp details and minimalist finishes. While the “Tiny Abodes” lack in size, they make up for in sleekness and functionality. The metal tray roof and external wall cladding provides sharp disconnect lines within the low-lying coastal shrubs. Despite the four wheels attached to the trailer chassis the home exudes a sense of place and permanence.

We love the panoramic floor to ceiling windows that bring the stunning views of the rugged coastline right inside. But to be honest we love everything, from the handmade cookery sets designed just for Yambara, to the locally crafted couch out of Tasmanian Oak. The Venetian plaster is so dreamy we just love it and we couldn’t be happier with the Dekton Liquid shell bench top, the texture and earthiness is timeless.

Moore Design and Construct did the design, and I designed the interior. Melissa Slade, who is a clever local interior architect, helped with the final finishes to ensure it was all perfection.

Our love for travelling off grid inspired our tiny home. The Eyre Peninsula is an incredible untouched, rugged, raw coastline that is predominately private land. We want travellers to experience this but there was limited accommodation available with views of the true Eyre Peninsula. We are very aware of how delicate this coastline is, so we wanted low impact on the environment and travellers to visit without leaving behind a carbon footprint.

We find our inspiration through so many areas of our life but the designers who we think are just nailing it at the moment would have to be Simone Haag, she is so clever in the way she designs spaces to create memories (which has inspired our design). Josh and Jenna Densten who have been buying properties to renovate since they were 18. Claudia Stephenson who believes in selecting with intention, with such a small space every decision we have made has had to be with intention. My last but not least favourite designer is Sarah Andrews who is the owner a beautiful little Tasmanian slow stay that has inspired the hosting world. I have her book, but cannot wait to do her stylist course ‘The Hosting Masterclass’.

Our biggest splurges are our windows and roof line. We tried to reduce the size and do a flat roof from various advice we received to cut the budget, but we just couldn’t do it. The pitched roof line with those windows is the main feature, we just didn’t realise how much the windows actually cost. They are all double glazed to increase energy ratings, which we are so glad we did as the tiny abode rarely needs the aircon or heater on.

Our greatest budget decorating tip is to collect native vegetation from your surrounds and pop them in a vase! We have very intricate handmade vases in our tiny abodes that are full of little sticks, bunny tails and various vegetation we find from the area… it really brings the outside in.

We are so lucky to be only 25 minutes from a main town centre, Port Lincoln. If you can drag yourselves away from the private beach, panoramic ocean views and the bird songs that you’re greeted by all day long you can venture into town. Port Lincoln is the capital of seafood in Australia so, the Fresh Fish place for a bite to eat is a must, followed by grabbing a coffee at Boston Bean Coffee Shop. If you fancy a very nice meal created with local produce with a spectacular view, then Peter Teakle winery is a must. After lunch you will be spoilt for choice with the local shops, the Bayroom and Ella and Zaffron are beautiful homeware and fashion boutiques that you will not leave empty handed. My go to shop for an outfit to spoil yourself is Call Me the Breeze. To end your trip with a bang L’Anse cafe is a definite for breakfast, lunch or to just get patisseries for the road.