List of Australian women writers

This is a list of women writers born in Australia or closely associated with it in their writings. As with other Wikipedia page lists, writers need a page before inclusion.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

A

• Mena Kasmiri Abdullah (born 1930), short story writer
• Joyce Ackroyd (1918–1991), academic, translator and author
• Glenda Adams (1939–2007), novelist and short story writer
• Patsy Adam-Smith (1924–2001), historian
• Jane Alison (born 1961), novelist and memoir writer
• Ethel Anderson (1883–1958), poet, essayist, novelist and painter
• Jessica Anderson (1916–2010), fiction writer
• Diane Armstrong (born 1939), novelist, biographer and freelance journalist and travel writer
• Millicent Armstrong (1888–1973), playwright and farmer
• Keri Arthur, writer of fantasy, horror and romance novels
• Helen Asher (1927 – c. 2004), novelist
• Melissa Ashley (born 1973), novelist
• Asphyxia (living), puppeteer and children's author
• Thea Astley (1925–2004), novelist
• Tilly Aston (1873–1947), blind poet and prose writer
• Louisa Atkinson (1834–1872), novelist, botanist and illustrator
• Karen Attard (born 1958), fantasy and short fiction writer
• Bunty Avieson (living), journalist and novelist

B

• Van Badham (born 1974), playwright and novelist
• Kate Baker (1861–1953), critic, editor and biographer
• Margaret Balderson (born 1935), children's writer
• Gina Ballantyne (1919–1973), poet
• Faith Bandler (1918–2015), writer and civil rights activist
• Marjorie Barnard (1897–1987), novelist and historian collaborating with Flora Eldershaw as M. Barnard Eldershaw
• Charlotte Barton (1797–1867), children's writer and educationalist
• Emily Mary Barton (1817–1909), poet
• Marnie Bassett (1890–1980), historian and biographer
• Daisy Bates (1859–1951), journalist and anthropologist
• Catherine Bateson (born 1960), novelist and poet
• Barbara Baynton (1857–1929), fiction writer
• Jean Bedford (born 1946), fiction writer
• Ruth Bedford (1882–1963), poet, playwright and children's writer
• Larissa Behrendt (born 1969), legal academic and novelist
• Diane Bell (born 1943), anthropologist
• Hilary Bell (born 1966), playwright
• Mary Montgomerie Bennett (1881–1961), biographer and civil rights advocate
• Patricia Bernard (born 1942), writer of speculative fiction
• Barbara Biggs (born 1956), journalist, writer and campaigner
• Carmel Bird (born 1940), fiction writer
• Winifred Birkett (1887–1966), novelist and poet
• Dora Birtles (1903–1992), fiction writer, poet and travel writer
• Marie Bjelke-Petersen (1874–1969), novelist
• Georgia Blain (1964–2016), novelist, journalist and biographer
• Capel Boake, pseudonym of Doris Boake Kerr (1889–1944), novelist
• Jenny Boult (born 1951), poet
• Tess Brady (born 1948), fiction, non-fiction, radio drama and children's books
• Mona Brand (1915–2007), poet, playwright and non-fiction writer
• Doris Brett (born 1950), poet, novelist and non-fiction writer
• Hilda Bridges (1881–1971), novelist and short story writer
• Annie Bright (1840–1913), journalist, non-fiction writer and spiritualist
• Hesba Brinsmead (1922–2003), novelist
• Anne Brooksbank (born 1943), scriptwriter and playwright
• Mary Anne Broome, Lady Broome (1831–1911), novelist, travel writer and children's writer
• Pam Brown (born 1948), poet and prose writer
• Mary Grant Bruce (1878–1958), children's author and journalist
• Alyssa Brugman (born 1974), author of fiction for young adults
• Anna Maria Bunn (1808–1899), novelist
• J. C. Burke (born 1965), novelist
• Janine Burke (born 1952), art critic, historian and novelist
• Joanne Burns (born 1945), poet and prose writer
• Marie Beuzeville Byles (1900–1979), travel and non-fiction writer

C

• Caroline Caddy (born 1944), poet
• Kathleen Caffyn, also pseudonym Iota (1853–1926), novelist
• Mena Calthorpe (1905–1996), novelist
• Ada Cambridge (1844–1926), novelist, poet, children's writer and autobiographer
• Marion May Campbell (born 1948), novelist, performance writer and memoirist
• Patricia Carlon (1927–2002), crime novelist
• Jennings Carmichael, pseudonym of Grace Elizabeth Jennings Carmichael (1868–1904), poet
• Maie Casey, Baroness Casey (1910–1983), poet, librettist, biographer and memoirist
• Deirdre Cash, pseudonym Criena Rohan (1924–1963), novelist
• Lee Cataldi (born 1942), poet
• Nancy Cato (1917–2000), historical novelist, poet and biographer
• Nan Chauncy (1900–1970), children's writer
• Connie Christie (1908–1989), children's writer/illustrator, photographer and commercial artist
• Ellen Clacy, pseudonym Cycla (1830–1901), novelist and nonfiction writer
• Monica Clare, (1924–1973), novelist
• Mavis Thorpe Clark (1909–1999), nonfiction and children's writer
• Coralie Clarke, later Coralie Clarke Rees (1908–1972), travel writer
• Maxine Beneba Clarke (born 1979), poet and short story writer
• Inga Clendinnen (1934–2016), author and historian
• Charmian Clift (1923–1969), novelist, nonfiction and autobiography writer
• Jennifer Compton (born 1949), poet
• Dorothy Cottrell (1902–1957), novelist
• Anna Couani (1948), novelist, poet and visual artist
• Emily Coungeau (1860–1936), poet
• Jessie Couvreur, pseudonym Tasma (1848–1897), novelist
• Alice Guerin Crist (1876–1941), poet, novelist, short story writer and journalist
• Alison Croggon (born 1962), poet, playwright, fantasy novelist and librettist
• M. T. C. Cronin (born 1963), poet
• Zora Cross (1890–1964), poet, novelist and journalist
• Cecily Crozier (1911–2006), artist, poet and literary editor
• Jean Curlewis (1898–1930), children's writer
• Dymphna Cusack (1902–1981), novelist and playwright

D

• Marguerite Dale (1883–1963), playwright and feminist
• Blanche d'Alpuget (born 1944), biographer, novelist and activist
• Kathleen Dalziel (1881–1969), poet
• Debra Dank, nonfiction writer
• Eleanor Dark/Patricia O'Rane (1901–1985), novelist
• Norma Davis (1905–1945), poet
• Sarah Day (born 1958), English-born Australian poet
• Alma De Groen (born 1941), New Zealand-born playwright
• Michelle de Kretser (born 1957), novelist
• Dulcie Deamer (1890–1972), novelist, poet, journalist and actor
• Enid Derham (1882–1941), poet and academic
• Jessica Dettmann (living), novelist
• Catherine Deveny (born 1968), journalist, comedian, author
• Jean Devanny (1894–1962), novelist and nonfiction writer
• Rosemary Dobson (1920–2012), poet
• Nance Donkin (1915–2008), children's writer and journalist
• Sara Douglass (1957–2011), fantasy writer
• Ceridwen Dovey (born 1980), novelist
• Henrietta Drake-Brockman (1901–1968), journalist and novelist
• Ursula Dubosarsky (born 1961), writer of fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults
• Eva Duldig (born 1938), Austrian-born Australian and Dutch tennis player, memoir author
• Susan Duncan (born 1951), memoirist and novelist
• Alice Duncan-Kemp (1901–1988), writer and Indigenous rights activist
• Mary Durack (1913–1994) novelist and historian
• Vera Dwyer (1889–1967), novelist

E

• Alice Eather (1988/89–2017), slam poet, environmental campaigner and teacher
• Robyn Eckersley (born 1958), political theorist
• Arabella Edge (living), English-born short story writer and novelist
• Harriet Edquist (living), architectural historian and curator
• Elizabeth Eggleston (1934–1976), activist, author and lawyer
• Anne Elder (1918–1976), poet and ballet dancer
• Flora Eldershaw (1897–1956), novelist, critic and historian
• M. Barnard Eldershaw, pseudonym of collaborators Marjorie Barnard and Flora Eldershaw
• Edith Mary England (1899–1979/1981), novelist and poet
• Fotini Epanomitis (born 1969), novelist
• Rica Erickson (1908–2009), botanical and historical writer
• Matilda Jane Evans, pseudonym Maud Jeanne Franc (1827–1886), novelist

F

• Diane Fahey (born 1945), poet and short story writer
• Suzanne Falkiner (born 1952), novelist and non-fiction writer
• Beverley Farmer (1941–2018), novelist and short story writer
• Tracy Farr (born 1962), novelist and short story writer
• Beatrice Faust (1939–2019), women's activist and non-fiction writer
• Minnie Agnes Filson, pseudonym Rickety Kate (1898–1971), poet
• Mary Finnin (1906–1992), artist, art teacher and poet
• Lala Fisher (1872–1929), poet and editor
• Kathleen Fitzpatrick (1905–1990), historian, biographer and critic
• Jane Ada Fletcher (1870–1956), nature writer and children's writer
• Pat Flower (1914–1977), writer of plays, TV plays and novels
• Mandy Foot, children's picture book writer and illustrator
• Bethia Foott (1907–1995), nonfiction writer
• Mary Hannay Foott (1846–1918), poet and editor
• Mabel Forrest (1872–1935), novelist and poet
• Elaine Forrestal (born 1941), children's writer
• Thelma Forshaw (1923–1995), fiction writer and reviewer
• Jessie Forsyth (1847/49 – 1937), newspaper editor; short stories, poems
• Mary Fortune, pseudonym Waif Wanter (c. 1833–1911), detective story writer
• Lynn Foster (1914–1985), playwright and novelist
• Miles Franklin, pseudonym Brent of Bin Bin (1879–1954), novelist and journalist
• Mary Fullerton, pseudonyms include E and Alpenstock (1868–1946), poet and novelist

G

• Katherine Gallagher (born 1935), poet
• Helen Garner (born 1942), fiction writer, screenwriter and journalist
• Catherine Gaskin (1929–2009), romance novelist
• Sulari Gentill, pseudonym S. D. Gentill (living), writer of historical crime and other fiction
• Doris Gentile (1894–1972), fiction writer
• Katrina Germein (born 1974), children's author and early childhood educator
• May Gibbs (1877–1969), children's author, illustrator and cartoonist
• Anna Goldsworthy (born 1974), writer, teacher and classical pianist
• Sophie Gonzales (born 1993), writer of young adult romantic comedies
• Heather Goodall (living), historian
• Charmaine Papertalk Green (born 1962), poet and artist
• Kate Grenville (born 1950), fiction and non-fiction writer and biographer

H

• Lyndall Hadow (1903–1976), short story writer and journalist
• Rosalie Ham (born 1955), novelist and stage writer
• Susan Hampton (born 1949), poet
• Eunice Hanger (1911–1972), playwright and educator
• Barbara Hanrahan (1939–1991), novelist and artist
• Lesbia Harford (1891–1927), poet, novelist and activist
• Beverley Harper (1943–2002), author of novels set in Africa
• Jennifer Harrison (born 1955), poet
• Elizabeth Harrower (1928–2020), novelist and short story writer
• Gwen Harwood (1920–1995), poet and librettist
• Libby Hathorn (born 1943), poet, librettist, children's author
• Susan Hawthorne (born 1951), fiction and non-fiction writer, poet and publisher
• Anita Heiss (born 1968), non-fiction and fiction writer, poet and commentator
• Dorothy Hewett (1923–2002), playwright and poet
• Ernestine Hill (1900–1972), journalist, travel writer and novelist
• Helen Hodgman (born 1945), novelist and screenwriter
• Ada Augusta Holman (1869–1949), journalist, novelist and nonfiction writer
• Janette Turner Hospital (born 1942), fiction writer

I

• Anne Bower Ingram (1937–2010), children's author and publisher

J

• Linda Jaivin (born 1955), novelist and non-fiction writer
• Barbara James (1943–2003), historian
• Florence James (1902–1993), author and literary agent
• Rebecca James (born 1970), young adults' fiction writer
• Wendy James (born 1966), crime novelist
• Winifred Lewellin James (1876–1941), novelist and travel writer
• Emma Jane (born 1969), novelist and media commentator
• Charlotte Jay, pseudonym of Geraldine Halls (1919–1996), mystery writer
• Barbara Jefferis (1917–2004), radio dramatist and novelist
• Sheila Jeffreys (born 1948), feminist scholar and writer
• Grace Jennings-Edquist (born 1988), journalist and non-fiction writer
• Kate Jennings (1948–2021), poet, essayist, memoirist and novelist
• Helen Jerome (1883–1958), poet, playwright and nonfiction writer
• Alexandra Joel, fiction and nonfiction writer
• Rebecca Johnson (born 1966), children's fiction and non-fiction writer
• Susan Johnson (born 1956), fiction writer
• Dorothy Johnston (born 1948), writer of literary fiction and crime novelist
• Elizabeth Jolley (1923–2007), novelist
• Gail Jones (born 1955), novelist and academic
• Jill Jones (born 1951), poet
• Laura Jones (born 1951), screenwriter
• Margaret Jones (1923–2006), writer of political thrillers and non-fiction
• Toni Jordan (born 1966), novelist
• Mireille Juchau (born 1969), novelist

K

• Elizabeth Kata (1912–1998), novelist
• Nancy Keesing (1923–1993), poet, novelist and non-fiction writer
• Antigone Kefala (1935–2022), poet and fiction writer
• Gwen Kelly (1922–2012), fiction writer and poet
• Nora Kelly (born late 19th century in New Zealand) journalist, poet and playwright
• Hannah Kent (born 1985), historical novelist
• Jacqueline Kent (born 1947), biographer, non-fiction writer and journalist
• Doris Boake Kerr, pseudonym Capel Boake (1899–1945), novelist
• Robin Klein (born 1936), children's writer
• Marion Knowles (1865–1949), poet, novelist and journalist
• Sarah Krasnostein, American-Australian non-fiction writer and legal academic

L

• Gertrude Langer (1908–1984), art critic
• Eve Langley (1908–1974), novelist and poet
• Coral Lansbury (1929–1991), novelist and academic
• Justine Larbalestier (born 1967), young adults' fiction writer
• Glenda Larke (living), fantasy novelist and non-fiction writer
• Nel Law (1914–1990), artist, poet and diarist
• Louisa Lawson (1848–1920), poet, writer and feminist
• Sylvia Lawson (1932–2017), historian, journalist and critic
• Simone Lazaroo (born 1961), novelist
• Caroline Woolmer Leakey (1827–1881), poet and novelist
• Ida Lee (1865–1943), historian and poet
• Valentine Leeper (1900–2001), classicist, polemicist and correspondent
• Julia Leigh (born 1970), novelist, screenwriter and film director
• Constance Le Plastrier (1864–1938), writer, schoolteacher and botanist
• Robin Levett (1925–2008), travel writer, novelist and philanthropist
• Tanya Levin (born 1971), non-fiction writer and social worker
• Wendy Lewis (born 1962), non-fiction writer and playwright
• Bella Li (born 1983), poet and editor
• Kate Lilley (born 1960), poet and academic
• Lady Joan A'Beckett Lindsay (1896–1984), novelist
• Rose Lindsay (1885–1978), biographer, artist's model and printmaker
• Marie Lion (1855–1922), novelist
• Carol Liston (living), historian
• Ellen Liston (1838–1885), fiction writer and poet
• Kate Llewellyn (born 1936), poet, diarist and travel writer
• Lilian Locke (1869–1950), short story writer
• Sumner Locke (1881–1917), fiction writer, dramatist and poet
• Amanda Lohrey (born 1947), novelist and essayist
• Joan London (born 1948), fiction writer and screenwriter
• Abie Longstaff (living), children's writer
• Gabrielle Lord (born 1946), crime novelist and short story writer
• Melissa Lucashenko (born 1967), fiction, non-fiction and young adults' writer
• Laura Bogue Luffman (1846–1929), English-born writer and journalist
• Catharine Lumby (living), journalist and academic
• Dame Enid Lyons (1897–1981), biographer and politician
• Edith Joan Lyttleton, pseudonym G. B. Lancaster (1873–1945), novelist

M

• Constance Jane McAdam, pseudonym Constance Clude (1872–1951), writer and suffragette
• Maxine McArthur (born 1962), science fiction writer
• Georgiana Huntly McCrae (1804–1890), painter and diarist
• Colleen McCullough (1937–2015), novelist
• Nan McDonald (1921–1974), poet and editor
• Ella May McFadyen (1887–1976), poet, journalist and children's writer
• Fiona McFarlane (born 1978), novelist
• Fiona McGregor (born 1965), writer and performance artist
• Siobhán McHugh, Irish-Australian author, podcaster and documentary-maker
• Elisabeth MacIntyre (1916–2004), children's writer
• Louise Mack (1870–1935), poet, journalist and novelist
• Edith McKay (1891–1963), fiction writer
• Dorothea Mackellar (1885–1968), poet and fiction writer
• Tamara McKinley (born 1948), novelist
• Rhyll McMaster (born 1947), poet and novelist
• Barbara McNamara, pseudonym Anne Willard (1913–2000), novelist
• Bertha McNamara (1853–1931), socialist and feminist pamphleteer and bookseller
• Kit McNaughton (c.1887–1953), nurse and diarist
• Jennifer Maiden (born 1949), poet
• Barbara York Main (born 1929), arachnologist
• Alana Mann (fl. 2000s), non-fiction writer on food politics
• Emily Manning, pseudonym Australie (1845–1890), poet and journalist
• Chris Mansell (born 1953), poet and publisher
• Melina Marchetta (born 1965), novelist
• Mary Marlowe (1884–1962), actress, writer and journalist
• Catherine Edith Macauley Martin (1847–1937), novelist and journalist
• Olga Masters (1919–1986), fiction writer and journalist
• Christobel Mattingley (1931–2019), children's writer
• Jan Mayman (died 2021), journalist
• Gillian Mears (1964–2016), fiction writer
• Wolla Meranda, (1863–1951), novelist
• Gwen Meredith (1907–2006), playwright, scriptwriter and novelist
• Louisa Meredith (1812–1895), fiction and non-fiction writer, poet and artist
• Elyne Mitchell (1913–2002), children's writer
• Drusilla Modjeska (born 1946), writer and editor
• Dora Montefiore (1851–1933), poet, autobiographer, suffragist and socialist
• Finola Moorhead (born 1947), fiction and non-fiction writer, playwright, essayist and poet
• Elinor Mordaunt (1872–1942), writer and traveller
• Musette Morell (1898–1950), playwright, children's writer and poet
• Sally Morgan (born 1951), Aboriginal writer and artist
• Liane Moriarty (born 1966), novelist
• Meaghan Morris (born 1950), cultural studies scholar
• Myra Morris (1893–1966), poet, novelist and children's writer
• Di Morrissey (born 1943), novelist
• Sally Morrison (born 1946), biographer and fiction writer
• Mary Braidwood Mowle (1827–1857), diarist
• Nina Murdoch (1890–1976), biographer, travel writer, journalist and poet
• Joanna Murray-Smith (born 1962), playwright, screenwriter, novelist and librettist

N

• Joice NanKivell Loch (1887–1982), prose writer
• Jill Neville (1932–1997), novelist, playwright and poet
• Brenda Niall (born 1930), biographer, literary critic and journalist
• Joyce Nicholson (1919–2001), author and businesswoman
• Deborah Niland (born 1950), writer and illustrator of children's books
• Cynthia Reed Nolan (1908–1976), novelist and travel writer
• Oodgeroo Noonuccal (1920–1993), Aboriginal political activist, artist and educator
• Marlene Norst (1930–2010), Austrian-born linguist, pedagogue and philanthropist
• Joanne Nova, science writer, blogger and speaker

O

• Kathleen O'Brien (1914–1991), comic book artist, book illustrator and fashion artist
• Mary-Louise O'Callaghan (living), journalist and non-fiction author
• Mary-Anne O'Connor (living), novelist
• Mietta O'Donnell (1950–2001), food writer, restaurateur and chef
• Pixie O'Harris (1903–1991), children's author and illustrator
• Audrey Oldfield (1925–2010), historian and children's writer
• Narelle Oliver (1960–2016), artist, printmaker and children's author/illustrator
• Kate Orman (born 1968), science fiction writer
• Beatrice Osborn, pseudonym Margaret Fane (1887–1962), novelist and poet
• Caroline Overington (born 1970), journalist and author
• Jan Owen (born 1940), poet

P

• Margaret Paice (1920–2016), children's writer and illustrator
• Helen Palmer (1917–1979), publisher, educationalist and historian
• Nettie Palmer (1885–1964), poet, essayist and literary critic
• Laura Palmer-Archer (1864–1929), short story writer under the pseudonym Bushwoman
• Susan Parisi (born 1958), Canadian-born writer of horror fiction
• Ruth Park (1917–2010), novelist and children's writer
• Catherine Langloh Parker (c.1855–1940), fiction writer and Aboriginal folklorist
• Menie Parkes (1839–1915), poet and short story writer
• Anne Spencer Parry (1931–1985), fantasy writer
• Jacqueline Pascarl (born 1963), memoirist and parents' rights advocate
• Ethel Pedley (1859–1898), author and musician
• Olive Pell (1903–2002), librarian and poet
• Grace Perry (1927–1987), poet, publisher and editor
• Hoa Pham (living), fiction and children's writer
• Nancy Phelan (1913–2008), novelist and travel writer
• Joan Phipson (1912–2003), children's writer
• Phyllis Piddington (1910–2001), novelist, poet and short story writer
• Doris Pilkington Garimara (1937–2014), autobiographical novelist
• Marie E. J. Pitt (1869–1948), poet
• Marjorie Pizer (1920–2016), poet
• Gillian Polack (born 1961), writer and editor of speculative fiction
• Leonora Polkinghorne (1873–1953), women's activist and writer
• Dorothy Featherstone Porter (1954–2008), poet
• Marie Porter (born 1939), researcher, writer and welfare advocate
• Sue-Ann Post (born 1964), comedian and writer
• Elizabeth Powell (1898–1988), journalist and children's writer
• Eve Pownall (1901–1982), children's writer and historian
• Rosa Praed, also as Mrs Campbell Praed (1851–1935), novelist
• Evadne Price (1888–1985) writer and media personality
• Katharine Susannah Prichard (1883–1969), novelist and playwright
• Alice Pung (born 1981), novelist and memoir writer, editor and lawyer
• Lillian Pyke (1881–1927), children's writer and, as Erica Maxwell, novelist

Q

• Betty Quin (died 1993), theatre manager, playwright and screenwriter
• Tarella Quin (1877–1934), children's writer

R

• Thérèse Radic (born 1935), playwright and musicologist
• Stephanie Radok (born 1954), artist and writer
• Jennifer Rankin (1941–1979), poet and playwright
• Kerry Reed-Gilbert (1956–2019), poet and author
• Elizabeth Julia Reid (1915–1974), Catholic journalist and author
• Ethel Richardson, pseudonym Henry Handel Richardson (1870–1946), novelist
• Elizabeth Riddell, also Betty Riddell (1910–1998), poet and journalist
• Sally Rippin, children's writer and illustrator
• Judith Rodriguez (1936–2018), poet
• Jill Roe (1940–2017), historian, academic and author
• Betty Roland (1903–1996), playwright, novelist and children's writer
• Heather Rose (born 1964), novelist
• Agnes Rose-Soley, pseudonym Rose de Boheme (1847–1938), journalist and poet
• Alice Grant Rosman (1887–1961), novelist
• Jennifer Rowe, pseudonym Emily Rodda (born 1948), novelist
• Gig Ryan (born 1956), poet

S

• Eva Sallis, pseudonym Eva Hornung (born 1964), novelist
• Dorothy Lucy Sanders, also Lucy Walker (1907–1987), novelist
• Dipti Saravanamuttu (born 1960), Sri Lankan-Australian poet and academic
• Julianne Schultz (born 1956), non-fiction writer
• Margaret Scott (1934–2005), poet, critic and academic
• Rosie Scott (1948–2017), novelist
• Jocelynne Scutt (born 1947), non-fiction writer and lawyer plus crime fiction and short stories under noms-de-plume
• Catherine Shepherd (1901–1976), playwright
• Helen Simpson (1897–1940), novelist, playwright and historian
• Nardi Simpson (born 1975), novelist and musician
• Sanu Sharma, Nepalese-Australian novelist, story writer, poet and lyricist
• Tracy Sorensen, novelist and academic
• Catherine Helen Spence (1825–1910), novelist, journalist and social reformer
• Eleanor Spence (1928–2008), children's author
• Dale Spender (1943–2023), feminist scholar, writer and consultant
• Lady Jean Maud Spender, also as J. M. Spender (1901–1970), crime novelist
• Nicolette Stasko (born 1950), poet, novelist and non-fiction writer
• Christina Stead (1902–1983), novelist
• Amanda Stewart (born 1959), poet and sound/performance artist
• Ethel Nhill Victoria Stonehouse (1883–1964), novelist and poet
• Agnes L. Storrie (1865–1936), poet and writer
• Jennifer Strauss (born 1933), poet and academic
• Anne Summers (born 1945), writer and columnist
• Bobbi Sykes (1943–2010), poet and author

T

• Lian Tanner (born 1951), children's author
• Cory Taylor (1955–2016), children's author and memoirist
• Kay Glasson Taylor, pseudonym Daniel Hamline (1893–1998), children's author
• Kylie Tennant (1912–1988), novelist, playwright, historian and children's author
• Angela Thirkell, also Leslie Parker (1890–1961), novelist
• Margaret Thomas (1843–1929), travel writer, poet and artist
• Holly Throsby (born 1978), novelist
• Glen Tomasetti (1929–2003), singer-songwriter, novelist and poet
• Jessica Townsend (born 1985), children's fantasy author
• Pamela Lyndon Travers (1899–1996), children's author
• Margaret Trist (1914–1986), short story writer and novelist
• Ethel Turner (1872–1958), children's author and novelist
• Lilian Turner (1867–1956), children's novelist

U

• Terry Underwood (born 1944), author
• Jessie Urquhart (1890–1948), novelist and journalist

V

• Elise Valmorbida, fiction and non-fiction writer
• Lin Van Hek (born 1944), fiction writer
• Joanne van Os, writer of memoirs and children's and adult fiction
• Elizabeth Vassilieff (1917–2007), non-fiction writer and critic
• Barbara Vernon (1916–1978), playwright, scriptwriter and radio announcer
• Julienne van Loon (born 1970), novelist and non-fiction writer
• Mary Therese Vidal (1815–1873), novelist
• Vicki Viidikas (1948–1998), poet and prose writer
• Michelle Vogel (born 1972), film historian, author and editor

W

• Vikki Wakefield (born 1970), young adult fiction writer
• Kath Walker (1920–1993), Aboriginal poet, short story writer and artist
• Lucy Walker, pseudonym of Dorothy Lucie Sanders (1907–1987), romance novelist
• Dorothy Wall (1894–1942), children's author and illustrator
• Ania Walwicz (1951–2020), poet, prose writer and visual artist
• Nadia Wheatley (born 1949), children's novelist and freelance writer
• Ellen Whinnett (born 1971), journalist
• Margaret Whitlam (1919–2012), social campaigner and autobiographical writer
• Anna Wickham, pseudonym of Edith Hepburn, (1883–1949), poet and playwright
• Rosemary Wighton (1925–1994), literary editor, author and adviser on women's affairs
• Dora Wilcox (1873–1953), poet and playwright
• Kim Wilkins (born 1966), popular fiction writer
• Marian Wilkinson (born 1954), journalist and author
• Donna Williams (1963–2017), writer, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and sculptor
• Justina Williams (1916–2008), journalist and poet
• Ruth Williams (writer) (1897–1962), children's writer
• Margaret Wilson, television writer
• Tara June Winch (born 1983), novelist and short story writer
• Dallas Winmar (living), playwright
• Eliza Winstanley / Elizabeth Winstanley / Ariele (1818–1882), writer and stage actress
• Eleanor Witcombe (1923–2018), screenwriter
• Amy Witting, pseudonym of Joan Austral Fraser (1918–2001), novelist and poet
• Sabina Wolanski (1927–2011), Holocaust survivor and autobiographer
• Fiona Wood (born 1958), young adults' novelist and television scriptwriter
• Susan Nugent Wood, (1836–1880), Australian-born New Zealand poet and essayist
• Elizabeth Wood-Ellem (1930–2012), Tongan-born historian
• Jena Woodhouse (born 1949), novelist and poet
• Angela Woollacott (born 1955), historian
• Alexis Wright (born 1950), fiction and non-fiction writer
• Judith Wright (1915–2000), poet and environmental activist
• June Wright (1919–2012), crime and non-fiction writer
• Patricia Wrightson (1921–2010), children's writer
• Ida Alexa Ross Wylie (1885–1959), novelist

Z

• Rose Zwi (born 1928), Mexican-born South African-Australian fiction writer
• Fay Zwicky (1933–2017), poet, short story writer, critic and academic