Mimi Macpherson seen publicly for the first time in over a decade in Noosa

They were once Australia’s most famous sisters, ruling the social and celebrity scene and dominating headlines for more than a decade.

But life for Mimi Macpherson and her big sister, supermodel Elle, couldn’t be further apart as the pair lead very different lives on opposite sides of the globe. 

Now all but retired from modelling, Elle – who splits her time Florida and the UK – oversees a successful vitamin company and is worth an estimated $80million.

Mimi Macpherson has been seen for the first time in over a decade. She was pictured going for a swim at a beach in Noosa on Friday 

Mimi is the younger sister of supermodel Elle Macpherson. The pair were once ‘It Girls’ who attended glamorous events in the 90s and 2000s. They are pictured here at Elle’s ‘Intimates’ summer lingerie collection at Sydney strip club Men’s Gallery in 2002 

Once referred to as ‘The Body’ thanks to her famed physique, Macpherson has also recently gone public with a new man – musician Doyle Bramhall II – with the pair often sharing snaps of each other from far flung corners of the world.

Life for younger sister Mimi, meanwhile, couldn’t be any different on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. 

Far from the glare of the spotlight and glamorous events as a society regular during the 90s and 2000s, Mimi now happily lives a quiet life in the popular resort town of Noosa. 

Mimi, who is now known as ‘Mia’, was spotted taking a dip in a plunging black one-piece

The former whale-watching entrepreneur and property developer runs an Airbnb operation from her apartment located just a few blocks from the beach and goes by the name ‘Mia’ on her rental profile page

At the height of her fame in 1999, Mimi was signed as ‘the ‘Face of Fosters’ beer in the United Kingdom – replacing Kelly Brook – and was dubbed ‘The Young Body’ by the British press following a series of appearances for the brewers Mimi is pictured here modelling at the launch of Fostralia 2000 in London

The former whale-watching entrepreneur and property developer runs an Airbnb operation from her apartment located just a few blocks from the beach and goes by the name ‘Mia’ on her rental profile page.

Photographed this week for the first time in more than a decade, Mimi, who is now 55, was spotted going for a swim at a beach in Noosa. 

She showed off her slim figure in a black plunging swimsuit as she soaked up the sun and cooled off in the water. 

Contacted for comment, Mimi broke her silence of 15 years to admit that spending two decades in the public spotlight where she was known primarily as the little sister of a supermodel was ‘never her thing’.

‘I just really like to keep things simple,’ Mimi told Daily Mail Australia.

‘I don’t particularly like talking to the media… it’s one of the reasons I moved away from Sydney. It’s quite daunting.

Contacted for comment, Mimi broke her silence of 15 years to admit that spending two decades in the public spotlight where she was known primarily as the little sister of a supermodel was ‘never her thing’

A preference for staying under the radar has also motivated Mimi – also known as Miriam Frances Gow – to adopt the name ‘Mia’ in her professional life

Mimi says that while she remains ‘extremely close’ to her sister Elle, but the pair don’t spend much time together as Elle ploughs her energy into her business. The pair are pictured here in 1999 

‘Going out to red carpets and having my picture taken and wearing high heels was never really my thing.’

A preference for staying under the radar has also motivated Mimi – also known as Miriam Frances Gow – to adopt the name ‘Mia’ in her professional life.

‘Because I just like privacy. I don’t trade on my name and I never have,’ she said.

Mimi’s relaxed life in Noosa is worlds away from her celebrity hey day when, for a time, she was arguably as famous as her older sister with a lucrative modelling career of her own.

Mimi’s relaxed life in Noosa is worlds away from her celebrity hey day when, for a time, she was arguably as famous as her older sister with a lucrative modelling career of her own 

During her beach day, Mimi slipped on a glamorous kaftan  

She showed off her slim figure in a stylish black swimsuit 

Mimi now has long bleached blonde hair from spending her days in the Queensland sun

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Mimi was last pictured publicly at The Star Opening Party on October 25, 2011 in Sydney

At the height of her fame in 1999, Mimi was signed as ‘the ‘Face of Fosters’ beer in the United Kingdom – replacing Kelly Brook – and was dubbed ‘The Young Body’ by the British press following a series of appearances for the brewers.

Around that time she fronted campaigns for Swatch watches, Australia Post and the National Baseball League and was later the face of Evolve Cosmetics.

Macpherson was also the first woman to grace the cover of FHM Magazine and was named amongst the Most Successful Business Women Under 30′ by Cosmopolitan Magazine in recognition of her whale watching charter business.

However she all but retreated from sight in 2008 following two major public setbacks: Mimi was forced to declare bankruptcy in the wake of a property development gone awry on the Gold Coast; and she was also named as the woman in an explicit sex tape which was leaked in the late 1990s by clothing retailer Matthew Bennett who later died of a mystery illness in Thailand.

Mimi all but retreated from sight in 2008 following two major public setbacks: She was forced to declare bankruptcy in the wake of a property development gone awry on the Gold Coast

She was also named as the woman in an explicit sex tape which was leaked in the late 1990s by clothing retailer Matthew Bennett who later died of a mystery illness in Thailand

The Macpherson family long maintained it was not Mimi who appeared in the tape and she has never commented publicly on the incident

The Macpherson family long maintained it was not Mimi who appeared in the tape and she has never commented publicly on the incident.

However it was around that time she relocated to Noosa where she has since quietly enjoyed life away from the public eye – renting out an apartment to holidaymakers and studying naturopathy.

Macpherson now also operates a small company Australian Sleep Co which sells natural sleep remedies.

‘I love Noosa, it’s gorgeous,’ Macpherson tells Daily Mail Australia.

Mimi was also spotted going for a run in Noosa on Friday 

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She wore a pair of navy leggings and a white T-shirt while jogging at park by the beach

‘I used to stop here every year on the way back from the whale watch season and always wanted to live here and I have been here for the best part of 15 years now.

‘I just love the lifestyle. I love the water and boats. How could you not love it.’

Macpherson’s low-key life is stark contrast to sister Elle who is now based in Miami, Florida and is often photographed in London, New York and the Middle East. 

The 58-year-old retired supermodel recently attended Paris Fashion Week where she debuted her relationship with Bramhall – a musician previously linked to Sheryl Crow and Renee Zellweger.

Mimi was the first woman to grace the cover of FHM Magazine and was named amongst the Most Successful Business Women Under 30′ by Cosmopolitan Magazine in recognition of her whale watching charter business (above)

Elle Macpherson and her new boyfriend Doyle Bramhall II attend a gala dinner in Saudi Arabia

Mimi says that while she remains ‘extremely close’ to her sister, the pair don’t spend much time together as Elle ploughs her energy into her business.

It’s a world of high glamour and celebrity but also requires hard work, according to Mimi. 

‘A lot of that I think is work for Elle,’ Mimi said of her sister’s jet-set lifestyle.

‘It’s not all glamour and partying. There is a lot of work you have to do to be a part of that industry.

‘But we talk a lot, we text each other every day.

‘She’s wonderful. She is my mentor in so many ways.’

Mimi confirmed that that she is yet to meet Elle’s new boyfriend in person but described the American guitarist as her sister’s ‘perfect match’.

‘They seem perfectly matched and she actually seems happier than she has been in a long time,’ she said.

Elle and Mimi are pictured with their mother Fran Macpherson in 2002

Mimi is pictured here modelling at the launch of Fostralia 2000 in London

Mimi said of her sister, Elle: ‘She’s wonderful. She is my mentor in so many ways’. Mimi is pictured at the world premiere of Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles in Sydney, 2002