Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth treated ‘like normal locals’ in Byron Bay

LIVING on a lush secluded mountainside on the outskirts of Byron Bay is about as far from Hollywood as you can get and that’s the way Elsa Pataky and husband Chris Hemsworth like it.

Elsa Pataky the decision she made with husband Chris Hemsworth to move their family Byron Bay and away from Hollywood was the best decision they’ve made. Picture: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

LIVING nestled into a lush secluded mountainside on the outskirts of Byron Bay is about as far from Hollywood as you can get and that’s just the way actor, model and author Elsa Pataky likes it.

The Fast and the Furious movie franchise star and her Melbourne-born Hollywood hunk husband Chris Hemsworth could be living the high life on the celebrity circuit, but they have shunned it all for a more idyllic existence on the edge of the small coastal town with their three young children.

Elsa Pataky with husband Chris Hemsworth. Picture: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

The glamour couple has opted out of the bright lights and big city hoping to give their children, India Rose, 4, and twin boys Tristan and Sasha, 2, as normal a childhood as possible; free from paparazzi, prying eyes and all the trappings of overindulged Hollywood offspring.

Pataky and Thor star Hemsworth bought their luxury Byron Bay pad for a reported $7.2 million in 2014 and the Spanish-born beauty says moving to Australia is the best decision they have made.

“I think it is the best thing I did in my life. For me it’s a dream living in nature, especially with kids. I want that environment for them, to be in nature with animals and not in a town,” Pataky says.

“We are trying to be normal people and being able to go with the kids and there are no photographers and people following you. We live on a property in the mountains in the middle of nowhere, so we don’t have that problem any more and that’s what we wanted.”

But even living in the remote Byron Bay mountainside the pair, who met and married in 2010, are not immune from inevitable tabloid rumours.

A women’s magazine reported this week the couple was splitting after six years together. Hemsworth, 33, was quick to respond on social media with a picture of him and Pataky, saying, “Looking for a new wife according to Woman’s Day and other misleading outlets! Honey you still love me right?!”

Pataky, 40, responded with another shot of the pair cuddling with their dog saying, “Always and forever!”

She credits her close-knit community with helping the high-profile family feel settled and as far removed from the false celebrity world as possible.

“The people are really nice and really good with us. In Byron Bay we feel like normal local people and that’s really nice for us. They welcome us and welcome me really beautifully, I feel really at home now.”

The children have become so accustomed to their laid-back lifestyle that on a recent trip to Spain Pataky says they marvelled at all the traffic and modern conveniences most city dwellers take for granted.

“When we went to Spain it was like they were so fascinated by so many cars and they didn’t know what the mechanic escalators were, it was so cute. They’d never seen so many cars in a line, it was funny, they’d never been in such a big town,” she says.

While the couple once had to chase work in Hollywood, the offers and movies now come to them.

Hemsworth was instrumental in having his latest movie shot on the Gold Coast, just an hour from his Byron Bay home.

“It has been almost a miracle, it’s been amazing to be in our town and really close. It’s been great not having to move with the kids and all the things to another place or town,” Pataky says.

“It’s our job and it’s what we have to do but it’s been great that we could live here for the whole movie.”

While Pataky is best known in Australia as Hemsworth’s wife, she is more than just a pretty face.

An accomplished actor and author in her own right, she has starred in more than 20 films and is the author of a top-selling fitness and lifestyle book.

She is one of the most well-known Spanish actors of her generation and speaks five languages fluently.

“I speak to my kids in Spanish all the time, but it’s difficult because they don’t use it at all, no one else speaks Spanish. I think it is good for kids to know other languages and it’s been for me almost everywhere I go I speak the language, it’s something really special to have,” she says.

While the children are absorbing the language, Pataky has struggled to get Hemsworth to master it.

“I’m pushing and pushing all the time and I try to speak to the kids and when he is not understanding he starts trying to make an effort. The kids say some of the words in Spanish, sometimes he has to say to me, ‘What did she say?’ ”

“I say, ‘No, you learn Spanish and then you will know what she said.’ He promised me when we met he would do it and now we are together a long time it is like, ‘You promised so you could get me in your pocket right?’ ”

Family is important to the couple and Pataky says she is grateful Hemworth’s parents split their time between Byron and Melbourne.

“They are half of the time in Byron now that we are there, they love to be near the grandkids so they come a lot and we share a lot of time together in Byron,” Pataky says.

Chris Hemsworth's wife Elsa Pataky posted this image of their family at Byron Bay Bluesfest to Instagram.

Some of her Spanish relatives have also relocated to the tropical paradise.

“Some of my family start moving around me which is good because they like it so much. They come from Spain and think, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing’.”

Despite her passion for acting, the down-to-earth stunner has taken a back seat for a while to focus on her children and allow her husband’s star to shine.

“I’m lucky in that I’ve been able to decide I just want to have a break of my work because Chris is working pretty hard and taking his moment,” she says.

“I have been working so many years I thought it would be good to give over my time to them (the children) and enjoy these years before they go to school.”

It’s a brave move for the actor, who turned 40 this year, in an industry notorious for its obsession with youth and beauty.

“I think it is the best time for a woman, I think you are more mature, you have more confidence in yourself, you’ve a lot of experience. I’m better than ever,” she says.

She jokes with Hemsworth, seven years her junior, about their age difference: “I always tell him, ‘I’m always going to look younger than you, so watch out.’ In a funny way, I just joke with him.

“I hate that they say in the magazine everyone has to know your age. I don’t mind, but I think it’s like, what does it matter? Seriously, it’s just a number. It’s all about how you feel and how young you feel.”

The Spanish beauty, who has a love of horses and fashion, will be the special Emirates and VRC guest at the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.

“We have a little pony now because I’m trying to teach my kids to ride and I love fashion, it’s another of my hobbies. I love to go to places that you can see how people dress and their style,” she says.

“I saw photos of how beautiful the women look and how interesting and different are their outfits. My style goes with where I am living. For example, now I live in Byron Bay and so my style is really more different to what I used to wear when I lived in LA, or when I was in Spain.”

While she is more comfortable in bare feet and the free-flowing boho style of Byron, Pataky still loves to dress up for an occasion.

“Those events are a good excuse to dress up a bit more and put your heels on and nice dresses.”

Pataky is leaving Hemsworth home to babysit while she comes to town with some of her girlfriends.

“He just went to the football (to watch the Bulldogs beat the Swans in the AFL Grand Final) so he said, ‘OK, this is your time.’ Because I couldn’t go to that he said, ‘OK, I’ll look after the kids and you go and enjoy that.’ It’s a good excuse to go with the girls too, and he knows how much I like horses,” she says.

Hemsworth has just wrapped shooting the third Thor film, Ragnarok, on the Gold Coast and is keen to spend some time with the children.

“That’s the thing I love most about him is what an amazing dad he is and how much he loves playing with them. It’s a great time for just him and the kids, he loves that time, too.”

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