While studying for her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Western Australia she contributed to the student newspaper Black Swan, acting as sub-editor to the editor, Leslie Rees.

She was an active member of the Women's Service Guilds and honorary editor of its magazine The Dawn in 1929, while Bessie Rischbieth was overseas.

She got work as a drama critic and wrote bylined pieces about London for the West Australian[3][4][5] and the Sydney Morning Herald.

They returned to Perth in March 1936, then to Sydney, where Leslie had secured a position with the Australian Broadcasting Commission as its first federal drama editor, and found a house in Neutral Bay, where they later brought up two daughters.

That same year Coralie toured Australia and back to London as private secretary to Eileen Joyce.