Forrest, Western Australia

{{Short description|Former station on the Trans-Australian Railway}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}

{{Use Australian English|date=January 2012}}

{{Infobox Australian place

| type = town

| name = Forrest

| state = wa

| image = Forrest Airport Terminal Building.jpg

| caption = Forrest Airport Building

| image_alt =

| pop =

| area = {{cvt |input=P2046}}

| established =

| postcode = 6434

| elevation =

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| dist1 =

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| lga =

| stategov = Kalgoorlie

| fedgov = O'Connor

| maxtemp =

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| local_map = yes

| zoom = 7

| coordinates = {{coord|-30.8480|128.1089|type:city(20)_region:AU-WA_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| near-n = Plumridge Lakes

| near-ne = Maralinga Tjarutja

| near-e =

| near-se = Nullarbor

| near-s = Madura, Mundrabilla, Eucla

| near-sw = Cocklebiddy

| near-w = Rawlinna

| near-nw =

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}}

Forrest is a former small railway settlement and stopping place on the Nullarbor Plain, {{convert|85|km|mi|abbr=off}} west of the Western Australia / South Australia state border, established in 1916 during construction of the Trans-Australian Railway. It is on the part of the railway that is the longest – at {{convert|478.193|km|mi|sigfig=6|abbr=off}} – stretch of straight railway line in the world.{{refn|group=note|The "long straight" extends from about {{convert|4.0|km|mi|abbr=off}} east of Nurina in Western Australia to {{convert|11.3|km|mi|abbr=off}} east of Watson in South Australia. The end-point coordinates are {{coord|30.975912|S|126.668499|E|format=dms}} and {{coord|30.469521|S|131.627055|E|format=dms}} respectively.{{cite conference |url= https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/6937092|title= History of the Australian National Railways Commission, part 1: 1978–1990 |last= Ramsey |first= John |date= 2008 |book-title= Proceedings of the 2008 convention |location=Adelaide |conference=Modelling the Railways of South Australia }}}} In the {{CensusAU|2021}}, the settlement and surrounding area had "no people or a very low population".{{cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/SAL50514 |title=Forrest (WA) |date=2022 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |access-date=8 August 2022 }}{{cite book|last=Burke |first=David |date=1991 |title=Rails through the wilderness |location=Kensington NSW |publisher=University of New South Wales Press |isbn=0868401404}}{{rp|214}}

The settlement was named after Sir John Forrest, the explorer who became the first Premier of Western Australia.Reed, A.W. (1973) Place Names of Australia, Sydney: A.H. & A.W. Reed, {{ISBN|0-589-07115-7}} He was much involved in the push for Australia's federation and was the pre-eminent advocate for building the Trans-Australian Railway.{{rp|44–48}}

Forrest no longer functions as a minor station as it did when established to service steam locomotives and maintain track. For six decades, a succession of about a dozen railway families lived there to provide essential operational and engineering services. However, from 1951, when steam engines were replaced by diesel locomotives that did not have to stop regularly for water and were very reliable, fewer employees were needed. Later, successive engineering changes – from timber to concrete sleepers, introduction of continuous welded rail, and mechanisation of track maintenance – continued to reduce the need for labour. Eventually all railway facilities were demolished, except for a rest house to accommodate transiting railway workers. After 1997, when the assets of Australian National Railways were sold to private operators, all maintenance of track and facilities was undertaken by non-resident contractors. The track configuration {{As of|2017|lc=yes}} was a {{convert|2.6|km|mi|abbr=off}} crossing loop, a goods loop of {{convert|540|m|yd|abbr=off}} and a short camp-train siding for emergency use.{{cite web|title=ARTC WA - SA - Vic DIN|url=http://www.sa-trackandsignal.net/Pdf%20files/ARTC/AR832.pdf |last=Vincent|first=Graham|date=2022 |website=SA Track and Signal |publisher= G.F. Vincent |access-date=8 August 2022 }}

The sole passenger train on the western part of the Trans-Australian Railway, the Indian Pacific{{spaces|thin}} experiential tourism train, does not stop there.{{cite web|url=https://www.journeybeyondrail.com.au/guest-information/timetables/the-indian-pacific-2023-timetable/ |title=The Indian Pacific 2023 timetable |author= |date=2023 |website=Journey Beyond Rail |access-date=6 August 2023 }}

Forrest Airport is an important stopping place on the east–west air route for refuelling aircraft with short-range flight capacity. It was established in 1929, when it was the overnight stop on the first scheduled passenger air service between Perth and Adelaide, operated by West Australian Airways from 1929 to 1934. It has been in continuous use since then. Today, the airfield consists of two sealed runways {{convert|1350|m|yd|abbr=off|comma=off}} and {{convert|1520|m|yd|abbr=off|comma=off}} long, a large aircraft parking hangar, and Avgas and Jet A1 aviation fuel refuelling points. {{As of|2023}}, nearby cottages could be booked for overnight accommodation.{{cite web|url=https://countryairstrips.com.au/listing/forrest-airstrip-western-australia/ |title=Forrest Airstrip Western Australia |author= |date=2022 |website=Country Airstrips Australia |access-date=7 August 2022 }}

By road, Forrest is accessible only by unsealed tracks from the Eyre Highway at Eucla and Mundrabilla, about {{convert|110|km|mi|abbr=off}} to the south-east and south respectively.Google Earth: [-31.6752, 128.8835] and [-31.818, 128.226]