The daughter of late Australian actor Heath Ledger is reportedly planning to spend time in Australia with her late father’s family.
Matilda, 18, who currently resides in the U.S. and was raised by her mother Michelle Williams, is considering enrolling at an Australian university, reported Woman’s Day.
Matilda is considering a move to Australia but intends to put off commencing her tertiary studies for an entire year so she can travel.
A source said the teenager wants to spend a ‘gap year’ travelling the world before starting her studies.
Her father’s home country is said to be a major destination for Matilda.
‘She’ll also be spending a large chunk of time in Australia. She always feels closest to her dad when she’s there and loves nothing more than hearing his childhood stories from all his family,’ the source said.
The insider also claimed Matilda is considering remaining in Australia to pursue her studies.
‘She may even decide to study in Australia, although she does seem to have her heart set on several colleges in New York for now,’ they added.
![Matilda Ledger, 18, to Spend Gap Year in Australia with Father’s Family Matilda Ledger, 18, to Spend Gap Year in Australia with Father’s Family](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/12/03/88424899-13733907-The_daughter_of_Heath_Ledger_Matilda_Ledger_18_who_currently_res-a-26_1723429329445.jpg)
The daughter of late Australian actor Heath Ledger is reportedly planning to spend time in Australia with her late father’s family. Pictured: Michelle Williams and Matilda Ledger in 2013
It comes after reports surfaced in 2023 that Matilda wanted to spend more time with her father’s family, who live in Western Australia.
Heath’s parents have said in the past they would like to see more of their granddaughter, whom they affectionately call their ‘little New Yorker’.
The Ledgers reportedly signed over all of Heath’s assets, worth an estimated US$16.3million, to Matilda upon his death in 2008.
Heath’s only child has kept a low profile over the years because her mother Michelle wanted to ‘keep things real’ for her daughter growing up.
![Matilda Ledger, 18, to Spend Gap Year in Australia with Father's Family 3 Matilda is considering a move to Australia but intends to put off commencing her tertiary studies for an entire year so she can travel. Her father's home country is said to be a major destination for Matilda. Pictured Heath in 2006](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/12/03/88424917-13733907-Actor_Michelle_Williams_was_in_a_relationship_with_Heath_from_20-a-27_1723429330094.jpg)
Matilda is considering a move to Australia but intends to put off commencing her tertiary studies for an entire year so she can travel. Her father’s home country is said to be a major destination for Matilda. Pictured Heath in 2006
Actor Michelle Williams was in a relationship with Heath from 2004 until late 2007.
The couple welcomed Matilda, their only child, in October 2005.
Heath died in a New York City apartment on January 22, 2008, after accidentally overdosing following months of physical and mental exhaustion.
The Dark Knight actor died aged 28 after taking a fatal cocktail of drugs, leaving behind his daughter, who was two years old at the time.
Michelle, who was in a relationship with Heath from 2004 to 2007 after meeting on set of Brokeback Mountain, decided to raise Matilda away from the spotlight.
The Blue Valentine star took a hiatus from acting and moved to upstate New York with Matilda after Heath’s death.
She previously said the move stemmed from her desire to provide ‘a sane home environment’ for her daughter.
‘We moved – we left Brooklyn and lived in the country for six years because it was an intolerable state of existence,’ she told the New York Post in June 2016.
Years later, Michelle made the decision to return to the Big Apple and bought a property in Brooklyn, where she had lived before the move.
![Matilda Ledger, 18, to Spend Gap Year in Australia with Father's Family 5 Michelle raised Matilda away from the spotlight after Heath died aged 28 after taking a fatal cocktail of drugs. Pictured: Heath with Matilda in 2006](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/12/03/88424929-13733907-Michelle_raised_Matilda_away_from_the_spotlight_Pictured_Heath_w-a-28_1723429330315.jpg)
Michelle raised Matilda away from the spotlight after Heath died aged 28 after taking a fatal cocktail of drugs. Pictured: Heath with Matilda in 2006
Before their break-up, Michelle and Heath had shared a $3.6million townhouse in Boerum Hill, a small neighbourhood in the northwestern portion of the borough.
Michelle, who is now married to theatre director Thomas Kail, previously spoke about wanting to give Matilda siblings in an interview with GQ in 2012.
‘I really wanted, and I really expected or imagined, that Matilda would have siblings that were close to her age. I wanted that for her. But I couldn’t make that happen,’ she said.
‘And now that she’s six, that isn’t even a possibility anymore. So something that was making me feel impatient, that’s been removed. For whatever reason, that’s not our luck, or our path.’
However eight years later, she found her happy ending with Thomas, whom she married in 2020. They went on to welcome a baby boy later that year and a second child followed in 2022.