Phegans Bay

Just when I thought that I had finalised my list of top five places in Australia I would like to live, we arrived in Phegans Bay and I fell in love!

Phegans Bay is a beautiful little Central Coast hamlet, surrounded by the Woy Woy/Umina beach
Peninsula and Brisbane Water National Park.  We came to visit a great friend and fellow ex-WA Firefighter, Annie, and it's clear why she left WA for this little piece of paradise!

Annie had mentioned that the road in to her place was steep and narrow, and the sign we came across at the end of the street prohibiting the entry of large vehicles made me a little nervous.  Luckily, we all had the sense to walk the 500m in to Annie's place first, to see if there would be room to manoeuvre the van in there.

Yup she lives atop a rocky outcrop in an amazing multi level pole home nestled amongst the trees and overlooking the vast expanse of the Brisbane Water.  Despite the narrow, unsealed road with a sheer drop to the water on one side and no possibility of turning a large vehicle at any point on the track, Bruce was still keen to 'have a go' at getting the van in (under) there.

If you look really close in this photo you can see Fletch's head peering over the railing! 

 

Thankfully, enticed by the thought of sleeping in a luxurious warm house for a few nights,  Bruce agreed to lock up the van and leave it at the bottom of the hill, and we moved into Annie's well appointed guests rooms. 

What a view!

 

We reminisced over a cuppa on the balcony with Annie while the boys made friends with the Ewok and his mate.

 

 

Oscar and Gus are Brussels Griffons, and are the two resident guard dogs/fur babies of the house.  They are affectionate, charming and curious, have appetites as diverse as the Johnston boys, and cope remarkably well with those tiny little legs on the many stairs inside and outside the home.

 

The weather was just glorious today, reaching a top of 30 degrees, so we made the most of it and took the boys out for a paddle on Annie's two kayaks.

 

 

Here you can see two of us out enjoying the afternoon on the water.  The other three Johnstons lost heart once they ended up IN the water after the first few moments in the kayak!  He he he he

 

It was a relaxed evening sharing a meal with Annie, reminiscing about old times and learning about her remarkable new life studying for an undergraduate archaeology degree.

 

Oh, and Annie's love of all things Star Wars seems to be rubbing off on the kids.  Here they all are in position for the next episode.