Dr Peter Hopcroft says living on a remote South Pacific island 1400 kilometres off Australia's east coast is not all that different to life in the suburbs.
The GP registrar was working in emergency departments north of Newcastle, NSW, earlier this year, when he applied to finish his training on Norfolk Island.
His wife, who is a pharmacist, and their two young children now enjoy a life among the island's sweeping headlands and sandy shores.
"The natural beauty that surrounds us is immense, but we've got all the same nuts and bolts we had back in Newcastle," Dr Hopcroft told AAP.
"It's the same life, but with more opportunities to do cool stuff."
Dr Hopcroft is part of a small federally funded pilot allowing GP registrars to finish their training in remote and rural areas, overseen by supervisors who check in from afar over regular phone and video calls.
The results of the pilot, which also placed a registrar in Walgett, northwest NSW, will inform the Royal Australian College of GPs' remote supervision program when it takes over nationwide training in February.
Face-to-face supervisors are thin on the ground in rural Australia, one of many barriers in attracting young doctors to the bush.
A new grant will fund an expansion of the program to as many as 20 remote communities from next year, a move the college hopes will help boost the rural workforce.
One of the pilot's supervisors, Dr Rick Aitken, worked for nearly a decade trying to get remote training off the ground.
He guided several similar studies to get state-based training providers and the college on board.
"I had to fairly bluntly say: your rules don't work out here, therefore you've got to change your rules," he said.
Dr Aitken said there is plenty of evidence to support the success of remote supervision, having guided eight doctors through training in western NSW.
Many continue to work in the regions, which is no small feat as doctor shortages deepen across Australia.
Rural doctors are particularly concerned about the federal government's decision to give urban areas priority workforce status, luring doctors away from the country.
The status allows clinics to offer financial incentives and recruit from a wider pool of clinicians, including those trained overseas.
"It's a challenging thing and increasingly challenging," Dr Aitken said of recruiting rural doctors.
"Giving them experience as students and as registrars in a rural area really helps. If they have a good experience, they're more likely to consider staying.
"There are many city-based doctors who have no idea about the quality of connectedness that small communities will give you if you let them."
Dr Hopcroft, who was born on Christmas Island and grew up in remote areas like Alice Springs with his rural GP father, said an affinity with the bush was part of the appeal of Norfolk Island.
His family followed two of their pharmacist friends to the Pacific, where the work is more varied and challenging than on the mainland.
"It's much more rewarding than metropolitan GP work," Dr Hopcroft said.
"There has to be an avenue for people to come and try working in these areas.
"If they're given an opportunity to come out here when they're training, they'll see just how good it can be."
