Stephen Nicholls, Property Journalist
First published 21 Oct 2026, 5:00am
“Sitting on the water”: The recently completed 41 Crammond Ave, Bundeena, is for sale via Biller Property agent Kyle Spyrides.
A battler from the west is selling the beachside dream home he built after losing everything in a house fire.
Forklift mechanic Jeff O’Loughlin, who recently turned 60, says a series of hard knocks and funerals made him realise “life is too short” to repay the mortgage on the family’s treasured home they only moved into 18 months ago.
“Don’t worry, I’d keep it if I could … if I won Lotto I wouldn’t be selling,” he said.
“You start to realise your own mortality.”
He and his high school sweetheart, Michelle, who works in waste management for Sutherland Council, had moved to Bundeena from Fairfield West 30 years ago.
They’d bought their current property after the view “took my breath away”, only to have the house burn down in 2018 after a fire linked to an electrical fault.
Landmark home has price cut by a third
Jeff O’Loughlin and Michelle O’Loughlin with their two kids.
The Bundeena home offers 180-degree water views.
“The place was gutted … I even borrowed a metal detector and tried to find my wife’s rings and family heirlooms,” he said.
“It took us nine months to get any money out of the insurance company … we decided to rebuild and borrowed a fair bit of money, but then Covid hit and building costs blew out significantly.”
More recently, he was badly injured when he was crushed by a forklift — “I thought I was going to be a paraplegic, it was touch and go for a while”; then he got prostate cancer — “it was very aggressive. so that was a bit of a scare, but a few months ago I got the all clear”.
So with his two kids having moved out, he’s now hoping to retire and and downsize with “the Mrs” somewhere up or down the coast.
“We’ve got our eye on something at Narooma,” he confided.
The home has only recently been completed.
The property is described as “bringing a touch of the Bahamas to Bundeena’s spectacular waterfront”.
Meanwhile, his four-bedroom, 3 bathroom home with double garage at 41 Crammond Ave is listed via Biller Property agent Kyle Spyrides with a $7m price guide, who’s hoping to attract a buyer from Sydney’s east.
It’s described as “bringing a touch of the Bahamas to Bundeena’s spectacular waterfront” and has a perfect northerly aspect and breathtaking views.
“We had six buyers through the first open on Saturday,” Spyrides said,
“Bundeena is very popular for people wanting a holiday home or as an Airbnb rental.
“In that street, two of the families live in Vaucluse and have a property down there.”
While keen for a sale, Jeff is going to miss the incredible outlook.
“Our house is the furtherest out on the point, it literally feels like you’re sitting on the water … you can see the sailboats racing and it’s basically a 180-degree view,” he says.
Former publican lists ‘magical’ beachfront
Help us improve your reading experience
Got a minute? Your feedback will help us build a better experience for you.
