"Around the conception of Bondi Hipsters, we'd go drinking and sit in cafes and overhear people talking. It seemed like there was some comedy to be had with these young people who try so hard to be cool, but do it in a way that is trying to look like you're trying not to be cool," the 32-year-old former Bondi resident says.

The resulting creation proved popular, and so spot-on that Van Vuuren says he still sees angry complaints from viewers who've mistaken the parody for documentary.

The Bondi Hipsters have made the leap from YouTube to television, appearing in the new multi-character ABC series Soul Mates, a comedy following two friends who reincarnate throughout different lifetimes.

"It's a bromance that spans the course of human history," Van Vuuren says.

Where did you grow up?

Cronulla. I remember doing a lot of drinking, a lot of experimenting, a lot of male bonding. The Shire is a pretty cliquey place and a lot of my youth was spent focused on trying to please other people or trying to be accepted by peer groups. I think a lot of that stuff plays into Bondi Hipsters with the attitudes of the characters.

Where would you take an out-of-towner to visit in the Sutherland Shire?

Probably Gunnamatta Bay. It's on the bay side, so if the beaches are a bit windy it's just a really nice place to lie. The way the tide works there means you can walk out really far to bask in shallow waters and then if you want to swim, you can drop off the ledge. It's a cruisey little spot.

You originally worked in media sales, but were quarantined for six months with drug-resistant tuberculosis. How did that affect you?

I was in Sydney Hospital in Macquarie Street up the top of Martin Place. I'd sit there in the hospital room looking out the window. I'd see people constantly working, coming and going at all hours. I started to think a lot about do I want to constantly be chasing sales targets for the rest of my life? The illness made me  [ask], "If I am going to die in here, what are the things I'm going to be proud of?" In many ways, it was the best thing that ever happened to me, because you re-evaluate what's important.

What's your cultural background?

My father's South African and my mum's Kiwi. I travelled to South Africa in 2005 which is actually where they think I got my TB. I went there to work and to get to know my roots a little bit. South Africans are nuts about meat. I could probably eat red meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Biltong is a dried South African meat and La Macelleria [in Bondi Beach] does wagyu biltong that is better than South African biltong. Boerewors is a South African sausage and they do a good one of them at Hurricane's [Grill] in Bondi [Beach].

What's one of your favourite spots in Bondi?

The grassy knoll [Biddigal Reserve in North Bondi].I like taking my barbecue down there in summer and cooking a few sausages and sitting on the grass. You don't get sand all through your food. The cool thing is it's a spot that reminds you that people come from all over the world to spend time in Sydney. It's nice to sit somewhere and remember that you're really lucky to be where you are.

Where do you like to write?

I find writing easiest from home, but I think that Gertrude & Alice in Bondi is a nice place to sit because you're surrounded by books. I also like to write sometimes at LeParis-Go Cafe, they've got some couches that overlook Hall Street.

Do you watch a lot of comedy?

I try to. I saw Cam Knight, he's a local Sydney guy, that was hilarious down at The Comedy Store [in Moore Park]. I think the best comedy act I've seen lately is a group called Aunty Donna; they're Melbourne people but they did a series of shows in Sydney recently [at Giant Dwarf in Redfern]. Everyone in the theatre had sore cheekbones when they got out of it. They've got a bunch of stuff on YouTube, too, that people should watch.

What's the last concert you attended?

Robbie Williams, it was amazing. I have a huge soft spot for Robbie Williams. He did the whole thing cabaret swing-style – like Vegas on steroids. There are a few Robbie Williams songs that when I hear them no matter what mood I'm in, they put me in an awesome mood. When he played Angels, everybody sang along and the roof lifted off Allphones Arena.

What's a hidden gem in Sydney?

Boat Harbour in Kurnell. It's a four-wheel drive park only 10 minutes from Cronulla. You pay a little fee to drive right onto the sand. It's like a deserted Fiji beach. You can have the whole beach to yourself on a weekday. You don't feel like you're in a capital city – you don't feel like you're in a city at all.

Soul Mates begins on ABC2 on Thursday at 9.30pm.