Inventory: New opening / Yamba, New South Wales
Back to life
Il Delfino offers a taste of the Mediterranean on Australia’s muted east coast. For its founder, Sheree Commerford, restoring it was a form of homecoming.
In the sleepy coastal town of Yamba on Australia’s east coast, a three-hour drive from Brisbane, you’ll find Il Delfino, an inn with sweeping ocean views. The name, which means “dolphin” in Italian, is inspired by the pods that are often visible from the hotel’s sun terrace. Built in 1948, the building is one of the oldest original structures left on Yamba’s oceanfront. It comprises five guest rooms (including one bungalow) and was previously a complex of holiday apartments.
Il Delfino’s founder, Sheree Commerford, is a local and one of about 6,400 people who call the town home. She had long romanticised the property and dreamed of turning it into something that would show the area’s charms to new arrivals. While celebrating a birthday there, she decided to take the reins and revive it.
“It might sound cheesy but I wanted the feeling of this place to be a permanent part of my life,” says Commerford, a fashion stylist, designer and founder of creative agency Canvs Bottega. “It’s one of those times when the reasons why you left home end up being the reasons why you return.”
She began renovations in 2021. “I grew up on a sugar-cane farm outside Yamba,” she tells Monocle. “Our family has been cane farmers for three generations and there’s something deeply grounding and special about that connection to a place through time.”
Today most of the building’s original architecture and features remain intact, including large picture windows and glass doors overlooking the Pacific. Tiles and signage by ceramic artist Elise Eales of Di Lunedi accent the spaces. “I had seen Elise’s work and knew that she had to be part of the project,” says Commerford. “Our collaboration grew to include tiles, signage and even her illustrations on the website.”
Each of the guest rooms bears the name of an Italian town or region: Cinque Terre, Ischia, Portofino, Scopello and Ravello. The Mediterranean-inspired interiors are by Commerford herself. Every room includes a kitchen and features a mural by artist-in-residence Heidi Middleton.
“As a child, I used to dream of living in the town rather than on the farm,” says Commerford, wistfully. “My love for the town started then.” — ildelfino.com.au
