BODY & SOUL
How Elyse Knowles finally got off the grid
'We’ll go camping for a week and switch off and have no reception, and we don’t even think twice about it.'
Social media may have enabled Elyse Knowles to become one of Australia’s most recognisable faces, but that doesn’t mean she’s a slave to the screen. In fact, these days, the model prefers to live her life off the grid – in more ways than one.
Elyse Knowles will do just about anything to make Sunny, her 16-month-old son, happy. What she won’t do is give him her phone.
“I don’t want him picking it up. I don’t want him playing on it at all,” she tells Body+Soul. “Sometimes it’s the only way I can get him to sit still for two seconds while I’m doing something, but that’s very rare.”
Indeed, from the moment Knowles and her fiancé Josh Barker welcomed Sunny into the world in February 2021, the 29-year-old quickly laid down the law.
“I’m very aware of how easy it is for little toddlers or even babies to start noticing the screen,” she explains. “I was on to Josh straight away – no phones around Sunny. I’ll put him outside on the verandah with all his trucks or [let him] play in the dirt. I really don’t care. I’ll do anything for him not to touch the phone.”
Although Knowles acknowledges the value of an online presence – it is how she cemented her place as one of Australia’s most in-demand personalities, after all – getting off the grid is how the former Myer ambassador finds balance.“We’ll go camping for a week and switch off and have no reception, and we don’t even think twice about it,” reveals Knowles, who relocated from Melbourne to Byron Bay in 2019.
“I think we kind of forget to look up – to breathe in the fresh air. We get distracted, so [nature] makes you step back, notice the small things and appreciate them.”Science agrees with her. According to an emerging field of research, frequent exposure to nature can do everything from improving your memory and concentration to increasing your overall happiness and providing you with a greater sense of purpose.
“When you’re in nature, you’re returning to your authentic self,” explains counsellor Kit Kline, founder of Nature Based Therapy holistic health treatment practice. “You have physical improvements but also mental-health improvements. Your blood pressure reduces, your heart rate slows down and you become more mindful. Nature grounds you – it boosts your self-esteem and... self-awareness.”
For those reasons, camping trips make regular appearances on Knowles’ calendar. In fact, the weekend before her chat with Body+Soul, Knowles, Barker and Sunny set their sights on parts of northern NSW they had yet to visit.“There were camping spots right on the beach and we were able to four-wheel drive on the sand,” she says. “They were pretty untouched areas and you know, they’re everywhere – you just have to take the time to go explore them.”
As comfortable on the catwalk as she is in a campervan, Knowles occupies two seemingly opposite worlds. But, as anyone who watched her larrikin antics on home renovation show The Block in 2017 knows, the model (and series winner) isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.“I’ve never just been all about fashion,” she insists. “I was brought up motorbike riding, camping in the dirt, waterskiing and bathing in the river. When I do put some heels on – which is pretty rare these days, let’s be honest – that’s something I’ve grown to love as well. But the core of Elyse is about being outside. That’s what makes me happy.”
Knowles has partnered with many brands since her rise to fame; now she is embarking on an ambassadorship with outdoor lifestyle retailer Dometic, a company that she says “is all about getting outside, exploring, having fun and getting out in nature. And that’s what I really thrive on in my life.”
“I try to have the best balance possible for me and my family – working hard, but also working so [we] can live and have amazing holidays. That doesn’t have to be spending a heap of money – it’s about getting good-quality products you can keep using time and time again.”
Between work and her role as a mother, Knowles admits that family getaways aren’t always possible, but planning any sort of outdoor adventure helps her and Barker stay sane – and off their phones.“You don’t have to be on holiday – go watch the sunset or sit on a hill together and watch the sky,” she offers as a tip. “[Being in nature] makes us more present and more loving towards each other. It’s not stressful when you’re together and just outside.”Kline agrees, adding that although longer bouts of nature therapy are ideal, regular short bursts can have a sizable impact on your overall health.
“Get to know your own backyard, balcony or local park,” she explains. “Go for a walk and instead of being on your phone, use your sensory system: what can you hear, taste, touch and smell?”
Although Covid-related restrictions allowed Knowles to explore the hidden gems of her new home, she hopes the family can now take their adventures further afield – while still on Aussie soil.
“Man, Australia is huge,” she says with her trademark enthusiasm. “And I think the more time here, the better. We’re supporting our own and giving the money back to our local communities that haven’t had tourism in so long.”
Wherever Knowles decides to go next, she’ll likely share it with her 844,000 Instagram followers – but she’ll do so on her terms. “If it’s a beautiful moment, I’ll put it up together as one [post later to represent], ‘This was the holiday, not the holiday I’m having,’” she explains.
For Knowles, those beautiful moments can be found, she says, in the simple things, like building sandcastles with Sunny and letting him wade through the mud.
“They’re the experiences that we love and will remember forever. We won’t remember sitting inside.”3 tips for camping newbies
Model and outdoor enthusiast Elyse Knowles on how you can make your first outdoor camping trip a great one.
1. Don’t skimp on your gear
My number-one tip would be to buy quality equipment so that it lasts for a long time, and you don’t have to buy it again and again. Quality is so important with camping.
2. Prepare for the elements
Make sure everything is waterproof. If you’re wet in your bed or your tent or whatever you’re sleeping in, your holiday is not going to be nice at all.
3. Think ahead
These days, you really have to plan your trip because everything gets so booked out. If you can, map out exactly where you want to be and at what point in time, then book your camping spots so you’re not camping on the side of the road.
This feature was produced in partnership with Dometic Australia.