Australia: Tyrconnell

Today I arrived in Port Douglas and for the past few days I have been cut off from everything that I know as the world in a place called Tyrconnell. It was an old gold mine site in the middle of nowhere! We were placed in tents at the bottom of a hill and were provided food by the people who lived at the top of said hill. Every time we wanted to eat or hang out at the family's house, we would have to climb up the monstrous the incline. We grew to learn that once you go up, you're gonna want to stay up. Therefore, everything I wanted for the day went in my daypack, and my luggage stayed safely in my tent. It was an environment in which everyone had to rely on one another for entertainment. However, there was a hike you could do to see the sunset, which I took full advantage of...every night. Other than that, we had a few lectures and just enjoyed each other's company. We were in the Outback! We drank rain water, used headlamps to see at night, had bonfires, and had no where to go. I'm so glad I bought a new sleeping bag! It was blistering hot during the day (tanning sessions!) and freezing cold at night. The sky was so clear that you could see en endless amount of stars. Usually, it was clear enough that the moon illuminated the whole area. It was pretty wild. It was the ultimate camping experience. It reminded me of how my dad, my brother, and I would go camping every summer except this time it was legit, because you were truly on your own with no grocery stores to rely on. The closest town was about 50 miles away. This place once had 10,000 people, but now it only has 10. Pretty crazy. Wildlife became a natural part of life and now that we are in Port Douglas, a major tourist location, it's hard to get accustomed to.