Helene Smith grew up near Manjimup in the south west of Western Australia and worked briefly as a nurse before becoming 'the mother of a large family'. Married to a schoolteacher, she has lived in a number of country towns. In 1989, Smith graduated from the Bunbury campus of Edith Cowan University with a Bachelor of Arts. Her primary areas of study were Education and English Literature. She now lives in Australind.
