In 1996, a 17-year-old Daniel Johns bought a rundown beach house in his hometown of Newcastle with his first earnings from Silverchair. Now, 30 years later, the property has been transformed into a vibrant Palm Springs-style home and is available for rent on Airbnb at $450 per night.
Neighbours in Merewether, a clifftop community south of Newcastle, told Daily Mail that Johns, now 46, still uses the house as a secret escape. 'You see him smoking on the balcony,' said one resident. 'He goes away for long periods of time - no one knows where he disappears to - but he always comes back.'
Exclusive aerial footage shows the freshly renovated shack, now painted in aqua and pink, with new patio furniture and a cactus garden. The home features graffiti-style art, which Johns is known to create, and a spray-painted guitar in the hallway, suspected to be one of his instruments.
The two-bedroom, one-bathroom property is almost fully booked until the end of the year. The Airbnb listing describes it as a 'love shack' transformed into a 'rustic, colourful beachside haven' with unique art and velvet couches. It is pet-friendly but does not allow smoking, despite Johns' known affinity for cigarettes.
Johns is often seen walking his elderly dog Gia on the nearby clifftops. Silverchair, which scored three songs in Triple J's Hottest 100 Australian Songs last month, comprised Johns, Chris Joannou, and Ben Gillies.
