Rugby league champion Luke Lewis puts oceanfront Cronulla haven on the market

Australian rugby league champion Luke Lewis signed with the Cronulla Sharks in 2013 after a “weird dream” foretold his winning a premiership with the club. When it came time to move to the beachside suburb (after 12 years and a flag with the Penrith Panthers), he again followed his gut.

The all-rounder was in England representing Australia with the Kangaroos when a shoulder injury sent him home early. On the drive from the airport, he and his wife, Sonia Di Loreto Lewis, ended up in Cronulla. This is when they first saw the For Sale sign outside the century-old house that would become their home.

“I’m a big believer in everything happening for a reason, and in its own time,” Lewis says. Even still, it took a bit of imagination to see the potential of the old place.

“It was run down,” he recalls. “There wasn’t much of a view because the windows were tiny. It was like a little rabbit warren inside, and it had shrubs out the front blocking everything out. But I just got a good feeling about it; as I walked in, I looked at Sonia and said, ‘This is the one.’ ”

The couple set to work overhauling the place, replacing all but the shell, including the installation of new plumbing underground. “When I say a renovation,” Lewis says, “it was more like a brand-new build, really.”

The resulting modern coastal design is bright and simple, bringing the show-stopping ocean view – sweeping from Boat Harbour to Jibbon Beach and enjoyed from almost every vantage point, including the shower – into sharp focus.

The open-plan living spaces feature timber floors and crisp white walls, a blank canvas for new buyers. “We wanted something timeless that in 10, 20 years would still work,” Lewis says.

A decade later, now with eight-year-old Hazel, six-year-old Levi, and that Sharkies premiership in the bag, a typical weekend for the Lewis family sees them on the beach soon after sunrise for Nippers, followed by coffee and catch-ups with friends in a beachfront cafe.

Later, the kids might don their wetsuits for a play in the nearby rock-pool dubbed Slipperies by locals, or the family will wander down to one of the beautiful sandy patches at low tide for a swim.

“The lifestyle here is unbelievable,” Lewis says. “It is like you’re on holiday all year round. Barely a day goes by when you’re not on the beach or enjoying the water in some way.”

From the front yard, where outdoor entertaining space and a magnesium mineral pool continue to sell the dream, not a blade of grass is out of place. Now retired from the game, the State of Origin representative splits his time between his financial management business, radio and podcast commitments, and garden upkeep.

“My mates always say, ‘Is this a show home?’ ” Lewis says with a laugh. “It’s because my favourite thing in the world is mowing my lawns and getting my gardens done and being able to sit outside and enjoy the nice clean and tidiness of it … it’s a bit of Zen for me.”

While in the yard, Lewis watches surfers, whales and dolphins share the waves out front. The ever-changing view never ceases to amaze; from wild swells to glass-clear water, there is always something to marvel at.

“When the sun comes up, the colours are mind-blowing,” Lewis says. “And then, at night, you get these big, crazy, full moons and you’ve got this beautiful white light shining straight down the water and into your room. It’s like the perfect little stairway to heaven sort of thing.”

Lewis says that, as much as the view is a highlight of this property, it’s really the neighbourhood – and their neighbours, more specifically – that have kept the family here for a decade. A cup of sugar, a bag of lemons or dog-minding duty are small fry for this community, and the Lewis kids have even adopted one couple as their stand-in grandparents.

“As a boy from Penrith, I never thought I’d end up living on the beach in Cronulla in my wildest dreams, in all honesty,” Lewis says. “But now, I just can’t see myself ever leaving. I just love the area so much. We’ve got the best street in the world, and the most amazing neighbours.

“After saying all this, I might not want to sell!”

But it’s time for change and Lewis says he is too young to sit still for long.

Contact Agent

85 The Esplanade, Cronulla NSW 2230

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Price guide: $9.5 million-$10.25 million
Private sale
Agent: Brookes Partners, Jon Brookes 0416 069 169