Tom Forrest lives in the small town of Wyndham in Western Australia's Kimberly region.
Tom Forrest lives in the very small town of Wyndham in Western Australia‘s Kimberly region.

With a population hovering around 940 residents, this quaint town boasts a single family-run supermarket, a post office, a local liquor store, and a swimming pool.

“This place is at the end of the road, not just geographically but also in spirit,” he remarked. “You can’t just pass through it, which fosters a closely-knit community.”

“Residing in the Australian outback offers breathtaking beauty, an incredible sense of community, and stunning landscapes. However, one significant hurdle is our remote location,” he explained.

Forrest has to drive an hour to his nearest major supermarket and 10 hours to the closest major city, Darwin.

“Flights departing from nearby Kununurra have been notoriously pricey,” he noted.

Forrest found inspiration in the outback pilots who navigate the skies in small aircraft for personal travel. A childhood friend’s father, who used to park his helicopter beside his house after a day of mustering cattle, particularly influenced him.

In an effort to simplify his own life, Forrest decided to adopt a similar approach.

Forrest became inspired by outback pilots who use a small aircraft for their personal use, including his childhood friend’s dad who would land his helicopter next to his home after a day of mustering.

To make his life easier, he decided to do the same. 

He travelled 1000km to Darwin every fortnight for 11 months to train for his pilot’s license before he was given the green light.

Tom Forrest lives in the small town of Wyndham in Western Australia's Kimberly region.
Tom Forrest bought a plane to make his life easier. (Instagram)
But with increasing fuel prices, which have sent diesel soaring past $3 a litre, each hour of flying costs him about $200.

For now, he has been forced to limit his plane use to necessary travel only.

“It’s gone up significantly. So at the moment, I’m paying around $3.64 per litre, and the plane burns 54 litres an hour,” he said.

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