Bondi Local | Liz Doran

We met Liz Doran via close mutual friends, and became aware of her close affinity to Bondi over the course of our friendship.

Melanie joined Liz for a coffee at the North end. This is what she had to say.

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Liz, tell us a bit about your Bondi story

It’s funny. I moved to Sydney in 1991 to go to Film School (I grew up in Perth); and I always lived around Darlinghurst and Elizabeth Bay. Then out of heartbreak (I had a relationship breakup) I moved to Bondi … to Ben Buckler, in 2001; and as soon as I got here I thought: What have I been doing all these years!? Why have I been living there and not here!

For 10 years I had lived in the city and thought … yeah, yeah this is where I live, and actually I first moved to Rose Bay for nine months, and as I used to drive along New South Head Road I used to cry coz I was so going far away from the city. Well then I moved to Ben Buckler, and actually I think Ben Buckler is the most magical place in Bondi to live because you actually live in the ocean. Because you’re on that little spit of land with ocean on either side of you. Literally you quite often come home and you are in a sea mist. You’re walking through the sea mist to get to your front door. Everything rusts! But you just don’t care! The fridge, the TV. I’ve had two cars that have rusted and just gone. I just don’t care! I loved it. I’d get up in the morning and go down to the end where the fishing club is and swim off the rocks there. And I reckon it just cured my heartbreak. Just being able to swim everyday, I was like, life is great! So I’ve lived here since 2001, although with a brief foray into Maroubra. No offence to Maroubra, but I hated it. I thought it’s a beach, it’ll be fine, but it just wasn’t and so then I came back.

There’s always something happening in Bondi; like Festival of the Winds [happening on Sunday 13 September] which they seem to be getting ready for right in front of us.

I love the way that the beach transforms. Like over Christmas you get that INSANE beach which is just crazy and then winter like now on a beautiful sunny day, it’s calm, just a few people, you can go for a swim.

What’s your beat?

I’m North Bondi. It’s weird, I think of going to Hall Street as like going to the village. Do I have to go to the village today? I do a little shopping and, phew, walk back again. I rarely leave this little spit. Plus I work from home. If I had to commute from here everyday I would hate it. The commute from Bondi sucks. I do it some times if I have to go to meetings. But if you can work from home it’s so beautiful. I think that’s why so many creative people live here, because if you can work close to where you are, then it works really well.

And my run is to Bronte. I have just never got sick of that. I have done it for 15 years.

I haven’t really asked you about your work.

I’m a scriptwriter. I’ve done feature films but mostly TV. I’ve written random episodes of just about every TV show out there. 

What are you excited about?

Please Like Me I really love. The third season is on in early October. We’ve got an American network and that’s really exciting. We go to air in US and Australia at the same time. It’s a great thing. And I’ve just done this new thing that I’m really excited about. It’s a 13 part teen series for ABC3. It’s called Ready For This and it’s like – 6 kids in a boarding house, there’s lesbians and roller derby, and we hope there’s controversy! There’s girls kissing like crazy – what, teenagers are gay!? But 90% of the cast are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. It’s with Black Fella Films that did Redfern Now. It’s the producers of Redfern Now and the producers of Dance Academy! It’s true, it’s actually true! And that goes on air October 5. That, I’m really excited about.

Another new thing coming up in October which I think is going to be great. It’s a mini series about Countdown and Molly Meldrum. That’s really fun. There are 2 episodes and I wrote the 70s part which was just like living my childhood. I loved it so much. All the music was a joy.

I’m an 80’s girl but the 80s segment was written by someone else. But I wasn’t into Countdown in the 80s. I got too cool. I saw Sex Pistols and Culture Club for the first time and a lot of bands but it wasn’t the same.

Where do you eat or drink in Bondi?

My heartbreak is that Nina’s Ploy Thai has closed down. Completely closed. [Ed: Heartbreaking for us too.] Also the Malay place on the corner – Hobbits [Ed: Ditto]. So there is a bit of grieving going on. But I do love the new Hakoah Club development [on Hall Street]. I’m a big fan. I’ve converted. The new bills is great. The pizza place [Da Orazio] is great. A Tavola is lovely.

For a special Sunday afternoon you can’t beat Sean’s for lunch. The roast chicken – here’s me, I don’t eat meat – it’s amazing.

What are you reading or watching?

Gosh, I’m about to write a feature film, but I’m constantly watching TV. There’s an English series that I’m loving at the moment called Catastrophe. Oh my gosh, I’m just obsessed with this show. It’s really good. I reckon Holding the Man (I’m just going to mention Australian things now); that is amazing. It’s so great. I loved it.

I read all the time but I just read a whole lot of shit books in a row. Although I did just read the new Nick Hornby book, called Funny Girl – it’s so good. And I think I’m going to read the new Jonathon Frantzen now. New book, sorted. I don’t read as much as I used to though.

I just watch so much TV. There is virtually nothing I haven’t seen. What else am I loving? So much. It’s my job but also I’m obsessed with television. I’m owning up to it! I watch a lot of TV drama. It’s research.

Do you have a motto?

I don’t think I do actually. I do have this thing connected with my tattoo [quite prominent feather on her forearm] and that was about walking lightly on the earth. It’s an environmental thing for sure, but the main thing was, as someone said to me, it’s that classic therapist thing, life is what it is, not what I want it to be.  And that’s kind of my motto really. Accepting what you have, and enjoying it. “Life is what it is and not what you want it to be.”

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Full interview on SoundCloud below or HERE