A Very Nullarbor Christmas
I arrived into Forrest on the afternoon of the 23rd of January, after a longer flight of about 5 hours. Flying across the Nullarbor Plain was something that I had been looking forward to for the majority of the trip, and I was looking forward to the wonderful scenery. It didn’t disappoint and I loved watching the flat expanse underneath me.
I refuelled at Caiguna, a small roadhouse with a dirt strip. After doing a low pass to check out the wind, inspect the conditions of the ground I would land on and scare off any kangaroos, I landed and refuelled. The bowser is just behind the roadhouse, right near where the motel rooms and cars are!
Afterwards, I took off and headed to Forrest. The runway is paved here, and in really wonderful condition. My hosts for the evening were Gary and Miriam, and I was met at the airport, to refuel NCO. Afterwards, I was shown to my home for the evening- a gorgeous old cottage. I love old things and adored the decor of the house, including the old-timey curtains and original stove.
Forrest is a gorgeous place, and I took the chance to explore around town- all 2 streets and six buildings! It has a deeply interesting history, especially in aviation. A train line runs through the town, and it was historically also a tracking point for aircraft flying from Adelaide to Perth. From the 1920s, large beacons were installed about 80- 100 miles along the track to allow aeroplanes to navigate easier at night. There’s a small museum too!
I went out for a walk down one of the dirt tracks and was struck by the immense feeling of how alone I was. Throughout this trip, I’m often asked if I get lonely up in the air by myself. Perhaps I’m more introverted than I thought previously, because I personally enjoy the sense of solitude and freedom that has come from flying this adventure solo- and I definitely felt that when I went to explore the plain. With the flat empty landscape stretching as far out as the eye could see, I felt as if I was the only person for hundreds of miles (and with the exception of my two wonderful hosts, that was probably true) and I cherished the feeling of complete freedom of being out.
Dinner was generously provided to me by Gary and Miriam, and we ate whilst sitting on the front porch and chatting into the evening. I also got to enjoy some cheesecake for dessert and some of Miriam’s famous Christmas Cake.
After dinner, I went out to stargaze, then started to feel a bit sad about the idea of having to leave this wonderful place- so at about 8pm, I was knocking on the kitchen door asking Miriam if I could stay another night!
I had Christmas eve in Forrest and think that there was no better place for me to spend the night, I’m still in awe of what a wonderful part of the world it is, and I know that I’m going to come back at some point!
