We travelled a total of 170 kilometres today. 

 I went to sleep at the normal time of 10:30pm and slept until 12:30am when I woke up completely and was unable to go back to sleep. I made a cup of hot chocolate when Russ got up to use the bathroom, and he went back to bed and back to sleep straight away, and snored. 

I read until 3:30am and decided I might be able to go back to sleep, which did happen, thank goodness. 

We breakfasted while the washing was done, two loads, and I hung them out on the clothesline while Russ had his shower. 

We finally headed out for the day about 10:30am and headed to the Douglas Apsley National Park. We took a lovely stroll through the bush along the Waterhole Loop Track, and took a lot of photos. 

Then we headed north to St Helens to check out the caravan park we are going to on Friday. It will be an interesting drive as there are major sets of roadworks along the way. 

We had lunch at Diana’s Beach and then walked down onto the shore to take photos of the surf. We had a wonderful chat with one of the locals who was playing fetch with Stella, his dog. He was very angry that some people had come into the conservation area and lit a fire on the beach, and instead of taking their bottles and cans away with them they had buried them under the coals of the fire. This meant that the heat actually broke the bottles and there was glass all through the area where the local let their dogs off the leach. 

We then continued further south back towards Bicheno and stopped at Mariposa Beach. Here we not only got action shots of the tremendous surf and waves, but were able to get photographs of the surfers trying to catch a wave. 

We passed a beautiful two storey Georgian-style house that could have been plucked from a Jane Austin novel and further investigation provided us with a name, Enstone Park. The building was constructed in 1860 and is perched on the outskirts of Falmouth. Apparently it has been purchased by a man who intends to restore both Enstone Park and the neighbouring property, Glencoe, to their previous glory and open them as accommodation units with some land set aside for caravans. 

The buildings are close to a lagoon and part of the drawcard for tourists will be the local birdlife. The farm at Glencoe is also in the process of converting its 3,000 head sheep flock back to merinos. 

Enstone Park was built be J Steel in 1867 for the sum of 1,740 pounds. It was completed in 1868. The Launceston Examiner wrote, ‘On a gentle slope about half a mile from the sea stands the mansion known as Thompson Villa. The exterior of the building produces a highly picturesque and pleasing effect [It is built from yellow sandstone]. The principal rooms open onto a wide veranda, which is decidedly ornamental. The entrance hall is divided by Corinthian fluted columns, with pilasters and Corinthinian cornice, well lighted by a beautiful ornamental stained glass window, recognised as the handiwork of our enterprising fellow colonists, Messrs Ferguson, Urie and Lyon of North Melbourne’. 

It was named Enstone Park after World War 1 by LJ Steel who lived in the house until his death at the age of 102 in 1968. We didn’t get to see any of this inside beauty but the house itself looks classical and lovely. 

It has been another beautiful autumn day and the temperature peaked at 18 degrees. By the time we made it back to the van the clothes on the line were dry and I was able to remove them, fold them, and they were put away.