Curtain was educated at Loreto-Mandeville Hall and the University of Melbourne, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Laws.
She was appointed to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal of Victoria (from its inception) in 1985 to July 1987 and was also a member of the Motor Accidents Board.
[2] On 3 October 2006 Curtain was appointed to the Trial Division of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
As a judge of that court she presided almost exclusively in criminal trials.
In 2017 Curtain was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the law, and to the judiciary, in Victoria, to medico-legal and professional groups, and to the community.