21 Facts About Tim Winton

Tim Winton has written novels, children's books, non-fiction books, and short stories.

Timothy John Winton was born on 4 August 1960 in Subiaco, an inner western suburb of Perth, Western Australia.

Tim Winton grew up in the northern Perth suburb of Karrinyup, before he moved with his family to the regional city of Albany at the age of 12.

Tim Winton has stated that he wrote "the best part of three books while at university".

Tim Winton published Cloudstreet in 1991, which properly established his writing career.

Tim Winton has continued to publish fiction, plays and non-fiction material.

Tim Winton has lived in Italy, France, Ireland and Greece, but currently lives in Western Australia.

Tim Winton met his wife Denise when they were children at school.

Tim Winton's younger brother, Andrew Tim Winton, is a musician and a high school chaplain.

Tim Winton has won many other prizes, including the Miles Franklin Award a record four times: for Shallows, Cloudstreet, Dirt Music and Breath.

Tim Winton's work has been successfully adapted for stage, screen and radio.

Tim Winton has been named a Living Treasure by the National Trust and awarded the Centenary Medal for service to literature and the community.

In 2023, Tim Winton was awarded the ABIA Lloyd O'Neil Award for outstanding service to the Australian book industry.

Tim Winton revisits place and, occasionally, characters from one book to another.

Tim Winton is a patron of the Australian Marine Conservation Society and is involved in many of their campaigns, notably their work in raising awareness about sustainable seafood consumption.

Tim Winton is a patron of the Stop the Toad Foundation and contributed to the whaling debate with an article on the Last Whale website.

Tim Winton is a prominent advocate of the Save Moreton Bay organisation, the Environment Defender's Office, the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and the Marine Conservation Society, with which he is campaigning against shark finning.

In 2003, Tim Winton was awarded the inaugural Australian Society of Authors Medal in recognition for his work in the campaign to save the Ningaloo Reef.

Tim Winton keeps away from the public eye, unless promoting a new book or supporting an environmental issue.

In March 2017 Tim Winton was named patron of the newly established Native Australian Animals Trust.

Tim Winton has always featured the environment and the Australian landscape in his writings.