Frenchie

THE camping grounds at 80 Mile Beach consisted of red dirt and a few shady trees.  As mentioned earlier this doesn't matter over there as the beaches are so lovely.  One long stretch of sand and water for as far as the eye can see. 
Kristy wasn't feeling well with her ankle so she took refuge in Applejack but I took a XXXX Summer in my favourite stubby cooler and relaxed on the sand.  I remember the sunset clearly.  For those of you who haven't been to Western Australia or the Northern Territory I will do my best to describe its beauty.  The heat of the day instantly drops and your body relaxes completely.  The sky can fill with colours of orange, red, pink and yellow.  I am sure everyone has seen a sunset before but these really are unique.  The sky looks soft and your mind and body absorbs every little bit of the moment.  The sand feels softer, the water feels cleaner and everything around you brings a smile. 
You don't say "nice sunset" and continue what you're doing.  You simply just stop.

Anyway we 'crashed' early and planned our next drive.  I knew friends of friends in Port Headland so I thought about dropping in and checking out the area which is very well known for mining.  We didn't have much that we really wanted to see from Port Headland until Exmouth so we were keen to get moving further down the West Coast.
I made some calls and decided to stay the night with friends in Port Headland.  It was drab driving into town after being at so many little parks and beaches.  I realised how much I had enjoyed not being in a mining environment. 
We found the nicest spot that we could with a bit of green grass and shade to rest until our barbecue dinner.  Needing to stock up on food before travelling into further remote coastal areas we spent a little time in air-conditioned shops.  We were in deep concentration over which water to buy when we hear "elloow".  Remember my post about Broome when I wrote we never thought we'd see that guy again who was checking out Applejack?  Well....we did! 
We both looked up and saw a head full of dreadlocks on a French guy called...you guessed it, Oliver!  He told us how he crashed his van in the middle of the night, after hitting a cow.  He had to grab a few belongings, leave the rest with his van and hitch a ride to town.
We took pitty on him but offering him a lift didn't even enter my mind to be honest.  I know how mean am I!  I knew he had other travellers close and I just presumed he was waiting in town for them.  He asked where we were heading next and turns out he wanted to get to the same place.  "Hmm" he said.  "Maybe I come with you?"
I looked at Kristy and she did the I don't care shrug and I thought well our next stop is Exmouth so why not.  I felt sorry for the guy.  Port Headland wasn't a place for a traveller to be stranded in.
We exchanged numbers and said we'd let him know when we knew what our plans were.  We went back to the park and there he was again.  Apparently he could see Applejack from the Caravan Park he was staying at.  OK, so maybe dad was right.  "People will always be able to find the big yellow kombi" he'd say.

Oliver wasn't strange.  He didn't make us feel threatened in anyway and was nice to chat to so we weren't worried about giving him a lift.  It could be fun to have more company until Exmouth.  It's not far I thought happily. 
We told him we'd pick him up early in the morning and deliver him to Exmouth where he'd find the rest of his friends again.  Or would he?

I could sit and look at this forever