WA locals: Felicity Palmateer, professional big wave surfer & artist

Professional big wave surfer and artist, Felicity ‘Flick’ Palmateer talks about art, community, and her soon-to-be-released documentary, Dancing on Water.

How did you get into surfing?

I was a beach baby and Dad got me into surfing at the age of about six. I have two younger brothers, and Dad wanted them to surf and I looked at him pushing them onto waves and thought, ‘I want to do that’. So I grabbed a bodyboard and he looked down the beach and saw me standing up on a bodyboard and thought, ‘Oh I better teach her, too’. I was instantly obsessed and wanted a wetsuit. He said, ‘You can’t have a wetsuit until you surf every day before school for a week.’ So I did. And I fell even more in love with the ocean.

Aerial shot of Western Australia — “Mum and Dad gave us a great appreciation of all the wild places around WA." (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

What do you love about WA?

It’s a different kind of beautiful. It’s rugged. It’s wild. Mum and Dad gave us a great appreciation of all the wild places around WA. I lived on the East Coast for a while, in Sydney and Burleigh Heads. But WA is home. Being a surfer, I have such a great relationship to the coastline in WA. From the pure white sands of Esperance to the red-soil rugged country of Australia’s North West where the desert meets the ocean. The contrast between the pindan soils and the blue of the ocean and sky is incredible.

Felicity Flick Palmateer — “The coastline and landscape have definitely shaped me. I’m a bit rugged, a bit wild and a bit raw. What you see is what you get." (Image: Jennifer Stenglein)

How did your childhood in WA shape you?

Everyone is a product of their environment. The coastline and landscape have definitely shaped me. I’m a bit rugged, a bit wild and a bit raw. What you see is what you get. There is a different energy here and a lot of it has to do with the people.

What can audiences expect from the soon-to-be-released documentary, Dancing on Water, made about the bond you and your dad share?

We have been through a lot as a family in recent years. I lost my mum last year, and my dad was recently diagnosed with leukaemia and the two of us use the ocean as our therapy. My partner and I are building a place in Margaret River but I’m currently living in Perth to be near to Dad. I have so many good memories of Dad and I driving down to Margaret River in his old blue Land Rover Defender while he was blasting Rage Against the Machine, AC/DC, Audioslave.

Waters of WA — I learned to surf in Margaret River and I feel like it’s home because I know everyone. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

You travel to exotic surf destinations all around the world, but what keeps you tied to Margaret River?

Part of it has to do with how pristine and diverse it is. But it’s also the community. I learned to surf in Margaret River and I feel like it’s home because I know everyone. There are like-minded people, amazing surf breaks, incredible produce and great wineries.

You have a weekend off, where do you go?

I would go to Rotto. It’s just a 20-minute ferry ride away and it’s stunning. Esperance is also beautiful.

Surfing in WA — “That once-in-a-decade swell saw me go from competing as a shortboard surfer to becoming a big-wave surfer." (Image: Richard Hallman)

You recently broke the record for the biggest wave surfed by an Australian female. How stoked were you?

The person who held that record previously was Layne Beachley and Layne was my idol. The wave was 25 feet, the equivalent of a three- or four-storey building. That once-in-a-decade swell saw me go from competing as a shortboard surfer to becoming a big-wave surfer. Footage of me surfing those waves went around the world. The Margaret River coastline is renowned for having powerful surf. We get bigger swells in the Indian Ocean so it’s the perfect training ground for me.

What inspires your art?

The ocean inspires my art. My dad is a ceramicist and I dabble in watercolours and inks and even audio-visual art. The ocean is at the heart of everything I do.

WA might be enormous, but the right insider knowledge brings its mysteries a whole lot closer.

“Western Australia is a land of record-breakers,” says Carolyn Tipper, a Travel Director working on AAT Kings Western Australia tours. “It has the second-longest fault line, the second-largest meteorite crater, the second-fastest flowing river—it just keeps surprising you. And every area has its charm.”

From tropics to deserts, Australia’s largest state is a land of extremes. You can’t see all of Western Australia in a lifetime, but with the right guide, you can discover its hidden pockets of magic.

Carolyn wishes to reach her guests’ hearts. “I want them to enjoy and be in awe,” she says. “I want them to have the holiday of a lifetime.”

1. Mimbi Caves

You wouldn’t expect a Great Barrier Reef in the outback – but that’s what you’ll find at Mimbi Caves. Once part of a 350-million-year-old reef, these caves hold marine fossils, ancient Indigenous rock art, and Dreamtime stories shared by a Gooniyandi guide.

“That’s when the real connection happens,” says Carolyn, who has taken guests through on the AAT Kings Wonders of the West Coast and Kimberley tour . “When guests connect, not just with the land, but with the people who have called it home for tens of thousands of years.”

Eye-level view of traveller exploring Mimbi Caves. — Walk through ancient limestone passages. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

2. Kalbarri National Park

Nothing prepares you for the Kalbarri Skywalk: a 25-metre platform jutting over Murchison Gorge, 100 metres above the red cliffs and river below. From July to October, join the AAT Kings Untamed Pilbara and West Coast tour to see over 1000 wildflower species paint the park, and listen as an Indigenous guide shares their uses, bush foods and medicine plants.

“I want our guests to have an emotional experience,” says Carolyn. “It’s not just about seeing the land, it’s about stepping into the stories.”

An aerial view of the Kalbarri Skywalk, one of the secret places in Western Australia, with visitors on the edge. — Stand on the Kalbarri Skywalk in Western Australia. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

3. Hamelin Bay Wines

Margaret River isn’t just a top wine region – it’s a winner in every category. Where the Indian and Southern Oceans collide, granite cliffs rise, limestone caves sprawl and Karri forests tower. It almost distracts from the world-class Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Almost.

Out of over 100 cellar doors, AAT Kings pick Hamelin Bay Wines as a favourite. Hosted tastings of small-batch wines on the Western Wonderland tour end with a group meal. The menu shifting with the seasons.

“Get off the beaten track to one of WA’s most relaxed venues for some amazing red and white signature wines,” explains Carolyn, “accompanied with upmarket pub food.”

Spectacular views.

A person raising a glass of Chardonnay against a glowing Western Australia sunset. — Sip world-class wines at Hamelin Bay in Western Australia. (Image: Getty)

4. Wildflower Guided Walk, Kings Park

Western Australia is home to 12,000 native plant species – 3000 bloom in Kings Park’s Botanic Garden. Stroll past Kangaroo Paw, Banksia and blooms from the Goldfields, Stirling Ranges and Kimberley. “The diversity of Western Australia is immense,” says Carolyn, who leads guests through on the South Western Escape tour .

Couple enjoying the view from the Lotterywest Federation walkway at Kings Park and Botanical Garden. — Wander among thousands of native plant species. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

5. Hoochery Distillery

Did you know that between Kununurra and Emma Gorge lies the state’s oldest continuously operating distillery? Well, the oldest legal one. Set on a family farm, Hoochery Distillery was hand-built using materials found on the property, conjuring up award-winning rum from local sugarcane, wet season rainwater and yeast.

Today, visitors can sample a hearty nip of rum, along with whiskies and gins – all crafted using traditional, labour-intensive methods. It’s the ideal way to soak up the ‘spirit’ of the Kimberley on the AAT Kings’ Untamed Kimberley tour .

People enjoying a rum tasting at one of the secret places in Western Australia. — Sample award-winning rum. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

6. Geraldton

The wildflowers of the Midwest will make your heart blossom. In Geraldton, the Helen Ansell Art Gallery brings the region’s botanicals to life in vivid colour and intricate detail. In nearby Mullewa, wander bushland trails lined with everlastings and native blooms. Further afield, Coalseam Conservation Park bursts into carpets of pink, white, and yellow each spring. Do it all on the Wildflower Wanderer tour with AAT Kings.

woman walking through Wildflowers, Coalseam Conservation Park — Chase vibrant wildflower trails. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

7. El Questro

Wake up after a night under the stars at Emma Gorge Resort, ready to explore the mighty beauty of the El Questro Wilderness Park. With deep gorges, thermal springs, and cascading waterfalls, time slows here.

Join the AAT Kings’ Wonders of the West Coast and Kimberley tour to drift through Chamberlain Gorge, where sheer sandstone walls glow burnt orange in the sun, archer fish flick at the surface, and rock wallabies peer down from ledges above. Then, step into Zebedee Springs, a secret oasis of warm, crystal-clear pools among prehistoric Livistona palms – a moment of pure, wild stillness.

Emma Gorge Resort at El Questro. — Wake to adventure at Emma Gorge Resort. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

8. Lake Argyle

Once vast cattle country, Lake Argyle now sprawls like an inland sea – Western Australia’s largest freshwater lake, created by the damming of the Ord River. Scattered with over 70 islands, its glassy waters teem with life, like freshwater crocodiles, barramundi, bony bream, sleepy cod and over 240 bird species. That’s nearly a third of Australia’s avian population.

Glide across the lake’s surface on a cruise as part of AAT Kings’ Untamed Kimberley tour , where the silence is only broken by the splash of fish and the call of birds. For Carolyn, this place is a perfect example of how WA’s landscapes surprise visitors. “Lake Argyle is a big puddle of water that became a game-changer,” she says. “Seeing it from a boat, coach, and plane is mind-blowing. It puts time, isolation and the sheer scale into perspective.”

Aerial View of Triple J Tours on the Ord River, near Kununurra. — Glide past islands on Western Australia’s largest freshwater lake. (Image: Western Australia)

Discover more of Western Australia’s hidden gems and book your tour at aatkings.com.

WA locals: Felicity Palmateer, professional big wave surfer & artist

Professional big wave surfer and artist, Felicity ‘Flick’ Palmateer talks about art, community, and her soon-to-be-released documentary, Dancing on Water.

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