The Sydney neighbourhood that inspired Aussie music royalty

When musician Mark Lizotte – AKA Diesel – left Perth in the ’80s bound for Sydney, he moved into an apartment in Elizabeth Bay ready to chase his rock’n’roll dream on the east coast of Australia.

The US-born singer-songwriter – who would become the brother-in-law of musician Jimmy Barnes – has called Sydney home since 1987. A year later he met his wife Jep (Barnes’ wife Jane’s sister) and tied the knot soon after, moving into their first home on Elizabeth Street, Paddington.

“We lived on Elizabeth Street between 1990 and 1994; a great cosy home that we loved until we needed more space when our first-born child Jessie [now 33 years old] became a toddler,” says Lizotte.

Diesel has lived near Oxford Street, Paddington since the 1980s. Picture: Jesse Lizotte

“Discovering this unexpected pocket of Paddington was pretty special at the time – that small patch of bushland with a gorge and waterfall was a nice touch and took anyone who visited us from out of town by surprise,” he says of the home being located next to Trumper Park and Trail.

“The house was cute – our happy place, but very small.  Once Jessie was more mobile, we decided we needed a courtyard and moved to the other side of Centennial Park near Randwick into a three-bedroom house,” he says.

In the ’90s, Paddington ticked all the boxes for Lizotte who was in the throes of his career as teen heartthrob Johnny Diesel.

Oxford Street, Paddington. Picture: Getty

“When the days were overcast, the streetscape of Paddington reminded me of London, and the backstreets a little of Melbourne’s Chapel Street end,” he says.

Lizotte wrote songs in the Elizabeth Street house with Cold Chisel’s Don Walker.

“We had a bit of gear set up on an ironing board and wrote together. That was first home studio which I called Small Cat because the room was literally that small you couldn’t swing a cat in it,” he says.

Diesel performing with Jimmy Barnes in 2008. Picture: Getty

“The house itself was very cosy, the kitchen was like a gully and the staircase felt like you were in a small boat more than a house, but it holds such beautiful memories for us.”

“We also bought a lot of furniture for the home some 30 years ago from a corner store in Paddington – it was located on Elizabeth and Oxford Street at the time,” he says.

Diesel is touring nationally. Tickets here.

Diesel’s Oxford Street Paddington favourites 

Rick Falkiner’s Guitar Centre

There was an amazing vintage guitar shop called Rick Falkiner’s Guitar Centre at the Albury end of Oxford Street, Paddington which was there for many years – located opposite the Valhalla cinema. Jep bought me a 1930s National resonator – a special antique guitar from there.

Rick, the owner, drove a 1950s Thunderbird that had bottle green glass and curved window – a vivid image I can visualise. I didn’t make it into the shop that many times because it was by appointment only, and every time I went it was closed. He sold high-end guitars, proper vintage. The store opened in the early ’90s.

South West Trader

This shop is still here at 36 Oxford Street Paddington.  They import Native American pieces including silver and turquoise plus the iconic Pendleton blankets. They have a real understanding of Native American culture, would travel overseas and bring these gems back to Australia.

South West Trader on Oxford Street, Paddington. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

As a kid, we lived in Arizona for a while and my Dad got into making jewellery. He went to [tribal] reservations and bought turquoise and got into jewellery making. I have a real affinity for it and hence fell in love with this store. It opened in 1989.

Paddington Markets

I loved going to the Paddington Markets on the weekend. I remember wheeling Jessie around or had her in the pouch in front of me. The community was full of life, every day you’d have conversations with people.

Paddington Markets. Picture: Getty

More go-to shops

Apex Shoes was a shop stuffed with shoes. The owner knew exactly where everything was. It’s where Jep loved to go for a last-minute purchase for a specific kind of shoe. This place was a fill the gaps type shop that was great.

I loved going to Fish Records regularly on Oxford St in the ’90s. The guy who owned it would suggest new music he liked – it has the real local feel about it.

Dinosaur Designs is still going strong. I would go there in the ’90s and buy Jep salad bowls and tongs. Watching the brand head to New York was pretty cool and they’re still part of the high street.

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I went to this iconic hardware store, Sunlite Mitre 10, for paints when I had the bright idea to take a DIY approach to painting the terrace trellis white. I tipped oil paint all over myself trying to do this job, it wasn’t pretty.

Sweet William Chocolates which opened in 1999 is where I go for chocolates and valentine’s Day gifts for Jep. Really delicious.

Ariel Books I would ride my bike here and shop for books here. My bike got stolen twice out the front, it was the heroin era of the ’90s and a common crime back then.