Meg's family home in Wonthaggi is a very special place.
The old, pale yellow, weatherboard cottage is reminiscent of a beach house depicted in 1970 Australian movies. The tires soothingly crunch across the gravel as you drive in. A scattering of fig and olive trees around a hills hoist greet you in the backyard the moment you step out.
The soft walls and wooden furnishings inside the kitchen make you feel cosy, like you're sitting your grandmother's house sipping a warm cup of tea.
Family photos and intricate ornaments reveal a history over many years of Meg's family coming to this house in summer.
Some friends and I came for a long weekend away to escape the bustling city.
Nathan, Maddi and I were the first to arrive in the morning. We walked to the local bakery and bought a fresh wholemeal loaf to share and devour alongside a jar of crunchy peanut butter.
Afterwards, we learned how to play and sing I'd Do Well by Tim Hart in the living room. For the lyrics we had to tediously listen to the song many times and write them on a notepad!
When Meg, Bec and Alice arrived we all headed straight to Inverloch and the beach.
Armed with ice-creams, a cricket bat and an atrociously shit tennis ball, we entertained ourselves the entire afternoon, slogging away as the batsman trying to set up some diving catches for fielders.
On the way back from the beach we divided and conquered on collecting dinner: fish, chips and a leafy green salad. We drank cheeky gin and tonics as the sun set, and shared our many life updates and recent thoughts with each other.
Alice and Maddi left in the wee hours of the early morning. Nathan and I played basketball while Meg and Bec went to the Inverloch Jazz Festival.
Over the years, this house has brought friends and family closer together with good food, afternoons of reading, wine, laughing and music.
It's been a place to remind me of the importance of having slow times, when I make time for things I seldom have time for or do very little at all.
And so I hold this place very dear to me, as close as my beautiful, supportive, loving friends. Do you have places which you hold dear? I'd love to hear from you about them.
With love,
Thomas.
© 2026 Thomas Feng
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/resize(700,400,crop)/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)