There's a few things I love about the industry I work in (well there are many, many things actually!!), but in keeping with the theme of this blog, I love discovering new beautiful faces with so much potential who are getting out there & showing the world what they're made of! I also love nurturing new connections with people who share in my passion to succeed in the goal to find pure happiness & my absolute love of Australia & how our sustainability efforts will protect it’s future.

Billie Jean Hamlet (@biillliejean), is a young & already very successful model with the world at her feet. Her beauty is matched by her energetic, spirited personality and kind nature. What struck me most about Billie & her evolving career, is her background. The beautiful connection she has with her home & it's spectacular landscape.

Billie was raised in quite a remote area in the Kimberley Region in WA, with her loving family who taught her how to live off the land - quite literally from a very young age. Situated by a water tank, Billie's tin shed family home was her introduction to life and the land around her. I won't say anymore - because Billie delightfully delves into her memories and childhood experiences (including my new favourite hobbies, campfire cooking & sleeping under the stars), below as well as sharing so much more about her views on sustainability & her ambitions in life.

Thank you Billie for sharing your time with me. What a treat it is to now call you a friend!

The modelling world can be tough at times. It can be challenging, lonely and very hard to navigate. Connecting with other models & those who work within this industry is important for many reasons. It means we are there for each other, we can guide each other & celebrate with each other along the way. And what could be more important than that? True connections and great people.

Enjoy learning more about this wonderful woman.

Elyse x

1. Billie thank you so much for sharing your time with me! I have such a love for our Australian landscape & I was so fascinated to read in an SBS article that up until you were 6years old, your family lived off the land in a remote WA town. Tell me about those years ...

Thanks for having me Elyse! I too have such a deep love and connection to our land. I am originally from an Aboriginal remote community called 'Nguturwarta' in Fitzroy Crossing, a small town in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia. These years were incredibly special to me and were crucial in shaping me to be the person I am today. From a very young age I learned to appreciate the simple things in life such as family, health, happiness and of course, nature. Learning about my Aboriginal culture was also a huge part of my early childhood as I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with my elders before moving to Perth with my family for a better education and more opportunities in life.

3. Speaking of family, I'd love to know more about the cooking aspect. You've mentioned before that your family survived off the land, you fished & hunted. Any particular recipes you can share?

My family and I lived in a tin shed in the outback so many of our meals were cooked on the campfire. My dad would take us fishing down by the Fitzroy River and we would literally throw the fish straight onto the coals of the campfire. My mum would roast some vegetables in the campfire as well. I used to help her collect a bunch of gum leaves to place on the sand to use as our plates and we'd eat with our hands. We were always so grateful for our food and had so much fun working together as a family to create our favourite meals. Sometimes we'd even sleep at the river by the campfire, under the stars while my dad kept fishing all night long.

We also had two pet dogs "50 cent" and "Champ" that we had trained to hunt and kill pigs, kangaroos and goannas. Most of our meals included stews or roasted vegetables with freshly cooked meat. My mother also taught me how to make traditional damper.

To make damper all you need is plain flour, salt and water. Knead it together and and bake it in the coals of a campfire/ oven for approximately 30 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on. Serve along side a kangaroo stew or eat alone with some butter and Vegemite and a warm cup of tea for breakfast.

4. Your totem is the Barramundi Fish & your elders call you, "The Fresh Water Mermaid." How beautiful! What exactly is a totem, and what is it's meaning?

A totem is your spirit animal. When my mum was pregnant with me, my dad would go fishing and catch loads of barramundi fish everyday and he would bring them back to the community and feed everyone, especially my elders who were too old to go fishing. Once I was born I became my dad's "lucky charm" and whenever he went fishing he would catch crazy amounts of barramundi which were the biggest and most delicious fish in the river but the hardest to catch. Whenever I stayed home with my mum whilst my dad went fishing he would come home with just a few breams and catfish, nothing too special. This is why my elders in the community call me "The Freshwater Mermaid". Although the barramundi fish is my totem, I am forbidden to eat it or else I will receive bad karma so as a kid I always preferred eating breams and catfish.

6. It's no secret that you've carved a remarkable path for yourself in the modelling industry. You're on fire! Tell me about your first "big break" ... how did it come about!? And what's next?!

Thank you so much! I would have to say my modelling debut was the Country Road 'New Horizons' Campaign shot by Simon Upton in Alice Springs last year. I was newly signed to Priscilla's Models and it was actually my first job! It was so magical, I was very relaxed and could feel my ancestors watching over me. As an Aboriginal model, shooting in the outback of central Australia with such an iconic Australian brand was an absolute dream come true. It was so surreal! I couldn't have wished for a better and more fitting debut.

7. I'm a big advocate for sustainable living & reducing our household use of plastics to preserve our natural Australian landscape, including of course our oceans. In your own day-to-day life, how do you practice sustainable living?

Sustainable living is also important to me and is something that has always been instilled in me through growing up in a remote community and surviving off the land. Nature is one of my core values and as an older sister of four younger siblings I'm extremely passionate about helping to preserve the Australian landscape for our future generations. I would love for my siblings to be able to experience the extraordinary Australian nature the way my older brother and I did as kids. I am still learning but in my day-to-day life I practice sustainable living by eating locally, recycling as much as possible, using less plastic and paper, taking shorter showers and re-selling or donating clothing items.

8. After lockdown wraps up, I'm super keen to get back to exploring Australia. Any tips for me? I've been to WA a few times & would love your tips on places I should check out?

You have to check out the Kimberley in Western Australia! There are endless places to explore. Cable Beach, Broome is a must and you can't miss the Lake Argyle Infinity pool near Kununurra. If you're a sucker for great sunsets like me, WA is where you'll find them! Happy adventuring :)

9. To wrap up, regarding your incredible self, what are you most proud of?

I am most proud of how far I've come... From a tiny Aboriginal remote community in WA to chasing my childhood dreams of modelling in Sydney, NSW! My biggest motivation is reminding myself where I come from and making my people proud! I am so grateful for each and every opportunity so far and cannot wait for what's to come.

Life Of Elyse BLOG

Beautiful Billie Jean