Educated in Perth, Van Amstel moved to the east coast of Australia in the late 1960s, first to Brisbane and then to Sydney, where she enrolled in nursing studies, getting involved in the theatre in the 1970s. She graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Social Work. Van Amstel wrote her first play, 'Late Arrivals' in 1980, followed by 'Camaradie' (1980), and her third play 'Are You Lonsome Tonight?' (1983) when she was 1983 Writer-in Residence at Nimrod, Sydney. Van Amstel and was associated with the Australian Film and Television School in 1984, TN Theatre Company, Brisbane, in 1985, and in the NIDA Playwrights Studio, and the Australian Writers Guild where she has been active in tutoring young playwrights. Van Amstel's work was included in the International Festival of Young Playwrights, Sydney, 1985, and her short film Smooth Criminals (2004) was selected for the 2005 Festival de Cine Internacional de Barcelona. Her other film scriptwriting includes documentaries, and she has also directed short films.
