“It’s mind blowing,” he told the Illawarra Mercury ahead of his inaugural tour down under this March. “It’s something I've always wanted to do and I’ve always wanted to see it, but I have no idea why. It’s fate that I’ve had to wait until now.”

Waite will perform his catalogue of hits in an electric acoustic format –including a concert at Anita’s Theatre in Thirroul on March 31.

But it won’t all be business, the star is getting to our shores early to see what he’s been missing all these years though he is fully aware of which stereotypical Aussie creatures to steer clear of.

“I’ll try to avoid poisonous snakes and spiders … and I’d like to jump in the ocean, I’d like to see that, but then again there’s sharks in that,” he laughed. “I’ve kind of got an idea of what it’s going to be like, it’s just going to be a surreal experience to make it.”

Waite first drew attention during the 1970s as the front man of British rock group The Babys, with hits like Isn’t It Time and Every Time I Think of You. After departing the band Waite considered ditching the music business all together but the love of it all spurred him on.

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“I had a knee injury and I was sick of the business completely and I went home and got married, bought a small cottage in The Lake District and never thought I’d make another record again,” he said.

Waite’s 1984 solo hit Missing You gained worldwide attention, knocking Tina Turner’s What’s Love Got To Do With It out of the number one spot on the US Billboard chart.

In 1988 he formed Bad English with former Baby’s bandmates Jonathan Cain and Ricky Phillips, along with Neal Schon and Deen Castronovo – When I See You Smile another hit under Waite’s belt.

Since then the singer-songwriter has continued creating melodies as a therapeutic form of artistic expression, the last two records showcasing a more stripped back format with mainly vocals and an acoustic guitar.

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“My world has always been half acoustic and half electric … it’s a really engaging personal, intense thing – you can’t sleepwalk through that you’ve got be pretty present. And that interests me, the rest of the music business doesn’t really,” Waite said.

“I can tell you the first four bars if someone is completely full of shit. If somebody’s really trying to sound like invested in the sound, you can just tell. If there’s and honesty in it you can tell that too.

“I don’t know how to write songs I just write them I don’t sit around trying to make hit singles and I’m not bothered about competing with other people. It’s a silly business but if you take it seriously music is probably the most direct form of expression.”

John Waite’s “Wooden Heart” tour, Anita’s Theatre in Thirroul, March 31. Tickets via www.johnwaitetour.com