He works as a pilot for North Australia Helicopters. 

Mr Carter moved to Katherine alone to pursue his dream of flying helicopters.

“I knew I wanted to work in the north, it is unique and a good place for young pilots,” Mr Carter said. 

“The way the Territory operates is different from down south. Helicopters are used as tools up here, whereas down there they are more geared towards tourism. 

“The skill set you can build here, you can’t do anywhere else in the country in my opinion,” he said.

“In one day I can do a scenic flight up the gorge, survey a bush fire and in the afternoon pickup a hiker from the gorge. Down south you would need to work for three different companies to be able to do that.”

Mr Carter said the biggest challenge about living in Katherine is being away from family and friends.  

“I didn’t know anyone when I moved up here, I knew I was coming for work and you generally make friends, especially trades you rely on each other at work so you make friends pretty quickly,” Mr Carter said. 

“My partner still lives in Victoria, she has her career and I have mine, eventually we will meet up somewhere we can both get work. It is just a fraction of your life and you both have to do the things you love.

Mr Carter said Katherine is the kind of place “where you make it or you don’t”.

“I would like to stay up here. It is all about the uniqueness and the opportunities. It is humbling being given so much responsibility seeing as I am so junior,” Mr Carter said. 

“It accelerates your experience, you learn more skills in a shorter period of time.”

Mr Carter said the major factor that would stop him from staying in Katherine permanently was housing prices. 

“It is like buying a house in Melbourne up here. If you are not working for the RAAF or the government is can be hard to buy your own property,” he said. 

Mr Carter said the remoteness is one of his favourite things about Katherine. 

“The sense of freedom. You can fish, camp, walk, you can disappear.”