I'd appreciate any recommendations for the best safest and most comfortable route and time of year to bring my 56 Lagoon catamaran back home to the Gold Coast from Langkawi in Malaysia. I haven't found much information about the West to East route? I've even considered sailing North side of New Guinea and heading South via the Louisiades archipelago to avoid Torres Straight? Thanks in advance

I just spent an hour writing a reply to your request then lost it trying to send!!! If your interested to have a chat, email me.

funny, same happend with me earlier today.

quick answer, more later.
Timing wise you have the next 2 months or so to get going before you have the wind on the nose the whole way to Aus.

www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f30/anyone-want-to-help-crew-a-lexcen-51-from-langkawi-to-darwin-274123.html#post3767384

Also, depending on how confident you are with your skill and familiarity with your boat you could go the west coast of Sumatra and avoid the boring, not much wind and heavy traffic Straits of Malacca.

Just to round this out, I don't have any knowledge of the Aus end of your trip and have nothing to contribute there. The easy weather in Indo may dump you into adverse conditions for the Aus coast.

If you're not in a rush and want company, Passage to the east leaves Langkawi in April and takes a 5 month meander to Tawau then pick up your northern route around png.
www.sailmalaysia.life/rally

Some collected passage reports in My and Indo and a bunch of other stuff here:
svsoggypaws.com/files/#se-asia