Photo provided by Alan Cooney with Calypso Coaches

When I chose Australia for my study abroad, I have to admit that the luxurious landscape played a huge role. I didn’t know much about the country, other than what I heard about the beautiful beaches and rainforests. While the first weeks of our trip focused on these coastal regions and proved to be some of the most breathtaking locations, one of the last places on our itinerary was far different. Tyrconnell, what used to be a gold mine, is farther inland and disconnected from cell phone reception, internet and most civilization.

I can’t say that I wasn’t nervous when I found out that we’d not only be traveling to the desert setting, but sleeping outside in tents for two nights. However, yet again, Australia blew my expectations out of the water. As we went off the grid, I was able to disconnect from the chaos of city life.

Photo provided by Alan Cooney with Calypso Coaches

My experiences at Tyrconnell are some of my favorite of the entire trip. From our hike to an overlook of the mine to watch the sunset, to sitting around the campfire for hours and looking up at the stars that seemed like you could reach out and grab one, we spent the entire two days outdoors; exploring and learning from absolutely inspiring experts who have adapted to life in remote Australia. While I may have lost some sleep over my fear of the spider the size of my head outside my tent, I wouldn’t trade my time in the outback for anything else.