List of Australian women writers

This is a list of women writers who were born in Australia or whose writings are closely associated with that country.

A

• Mena Abdullah (born 1930), short story writer.
• Joyce Ackroyd (1918–1991), academic, translator, author and editor.
• Glenda Adams (1939–2007), novelist and short story writer.
• Nancy Adams (1890–1968), autobiographical writer and illustrator.
• 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), novelist and short story 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, 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, journalist and novelist.

B

• Elizabeth Backhouse (1917–2013), novelist, scriptwriter and playwright.
• Van Badham (born 1974), playwright and novelist.
• Elsie Marion Bailey, novelist.
• Kate Baker (1861–1952), critic, editor and biographer.
• Margaret Balderson (born 1935), children's writer.
• Gina Ballantyne (1916–1973), poet.
• Faith Bandler (1918–2015), writer and civil rights activist.
• Sallie Bannister, novelist.
• Margaret Barbalet (born 1949), novelist and historian.
• Marjorie Barnard (1897–1987), novelist and historian, who collaborated with Flora Eldershaw to write 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.
• Annie Maria Baxter (1816–1905), diarist.
• Barbara Baynton (1857–1929)
• Jean Bedford (born 1946), novelist and short story 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.
• Stefanie Bennet (born 1945), poet.
• Mary Montgomerie Bennett (1881–1961), biographer and civil rights advocate.
• Patricia Bernard (born 1942), writer of speculative fiction.
• Beatrice Bevan (1876–1945), poet and missionary.
• Barbara Biggs (born 1956), journalist, writer and campaigner.
• Carmel Bird (born 1940), novelist and short story writer.
• Winifred Birkett (1887–1966), novelist and poet.
• Dora Birtles (1903–1992), novelist, short story writer, poet and travel writer.
• Marie Bjelke-Petersen (1874–1969), novelist.
• Georgia Blain (1964–2016), novelist, journalist and biographer.
• Dorothy Blewett (1898–1965), playwright and novelist who also wrote as 'Ann Praize'.
• Norma Bloom (born 1924), poet.
• 'Capel Boake', pseudonym of Doris Boake Kerr (1889–1944), novelist.
• Jenny Boult (born 1951), poet.
• Mona Brand (1915–2007), poet, playwright and non-fiction writer.
• Doris Brett (born 1950), poet.
• Hilda Bridges (1881–1971), novelist and short story writer.
• Hesba Brinsmead (1922–2003), novelist.
• Barbara Brooks (born 1947), prose and short story writer.
• Anne Brooksbank (born 1943), scriptwriter and playwright.
• Mary Anne Broome, Lady Broome (1831–1911), novelist, travel writer and children's writer.
• Lyn Ingoldsby Brown (1918–2011), poet.
• 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.
• Emily Hemans Bulcock (1877–1969), poet.
• Anna Maria Bunn (1808–1899), novelist.
• Dora Burchill (1908–2003), non-fiction writer.
• Colleen Burke (born 1943), poet and biographer.
• 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 (1853–1926), novelist who also wrote under the pseudonym 'Iota'.
• 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 for Grace Elizabeth Jennings Carmichael (1868–1904), poet.
• Maie Casey, Baroness Casey (1910–1983), poet, librettist, biographer and memoirist.
• Deirdre Cash (1924–1963), novelist who used the pseudonym 'Criena Rohan'.
• Lee Cataldi (born 1942), poet.
• Nancy Cato (1917–2000), historical novelist, poet and biographer.
• Nan Chauncy (1900–1970), children's writer.
• Ellen Clacy (1830–1901), novelist and nonfiction writer who also wrote under the pseudonym 'Cycla'.
• Mona Matilda Clare (1924–1973), novelist who wrote under the pseudonym 'Monica Clare'.
• 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 (1848–1897), novelist who also wrote under the pseudonym 'Tasma'.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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, novelist
• Jean Devanny (1894–1962), novelist and nonfiction writer.
• Rosemary Dobson (1920–2012), poet.
• 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.
• Susan Duncan (born 1951), memoirist and novelist.
• Alice Monkton Duncan-Kemp (1901–1988), novelist.
• Mary Durack (1913–1994) novelist and historian.

E

• Alice Eather (1988/89–2017), slam poet, environmental campaigner and teacher.
• Robyn Eckersley (born 1958), political theorist.
• Suzanne Edgar (born 1939), writer of fiction, feature articles, poetry and reviews.
• Arabella Edge, English-born short story writer and novelist.
• Harriet Edquist, 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 for collaboration of Marjorie Barnard and Flora Eldershaw
• Marian Eldridge (1936–1997), short story writer.
• Edith Mary England (1899–1979/1981), novelist and poet.
• Fotini Epanomitis (born 1969), novelist.
• Velia Ercole (1903–1978), novelist who wrote under the pseudonym 'Margaret Gregory'.
• Rica Erickson (1908–2009), botanical and historical writer.
• Matilda Jane Evans (1827–1886), novelist who wrote under the pseudonym 'Maud Jeanne Franc'.

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.
• Beatrice Faust (1939–2019), women's activist and non-fiction writer.
• Minnie Agnes Filson (1898–1971), poet who wrote under the pseudonym 'Ricketty Kate'.
• Mary Finnin (1906–1992), 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.
• Bethia Foott, novelist and non-fiction writer.
• Mrs James Foott, non-fiction writer.
• Mary Hannay Foott (1846–1918), poet and editor.
• Mabel Forrest (1872–1935), novelist and poet.
• Thelma Forshaw (1923–1995), short story writer and reviewer.
• Mary Fortune (c.1833–1911), detective story writer, under the pseudonym 'Waif Wander'.
• Lynn Foster (1914–1985), playwright and novelist.
• Miles Franklin (1879–1954), novelist and journalist, who sometimes wrote under the pseudonym 'Brent of Bin Bin'.
• Robyn Friend (born 1942), fiction writer and biographer.
• Mary Fullerton (1868–1946), poet and novelist who published under several pseudonyms ('E', 'Alpenstock', etc.).

G

• Katherine Gallagher (born 1935), poet.
• Helen Garner (born 1942), novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist.
• Catherine Gaskin (1929–2009), romance novelist.
• Sulari Gentill, writer of historical crime and other fiction, who also uses the pseudonym 'S.D. Gentill'.
• Doris Gentile (1894–1972), novelist and short story writer.
• 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 queer romantic comedies.
• Charmaine Papertalk Green (born 1962), poet and artist.
• Kate Grenville (born 1950), writer of fiction, non-fiction, biography and about the writing process.
• Margot Goyder (1896-1975), novelist who, with Neville Joske, published under the pseudonym Margot Neville

H

• Rosalie Ham (born 1955), author of The Dressmaker.
• Susan Hampton (born 1949), poet.
• Barbara Hanrahan (1939–1991), novelist and artist.
• Lesbia Harford (1891–1927), poet, novelist and political 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), writer of fiction and nonfiction, poet, and publisher.
• Anita Heiss (born 1968), writer of non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial women's fiction, poetry, social commentary, travel and on contemporary Aboriginal life.
• 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.
• Cecelia Hopkins-Drewer (born 1967), scholar, writer of fiction, nonfiction, drama and poetry.
• Janette Turner Hospital (born 1942), novelist and short story writer.

I

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

J

• Linda Jaivin (born 1955), novelist and nonfiction writer.
• Barbara James (1943–2003), historian.
• Florence James (1902–1993), author and literary agent.
• Rebecca James (born 1970), writer of young adult fiction.
• 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 (1919–1996), pseudonym of Geraldine Halls, mystery writer.
• Barbara Jefferis (1917–2004), radio dramatist and novelist.
• Sheila Jeffreys (born 1948), feminist scholar and writer.
• Grace Jennings-Edquist (born 1988), feminist writer and journalist.
• Kate Jennings (born 1948), 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 writer, including nonfiction.
• Susan Johnson (born 1956), novelist and short story 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), journalist, writer of political thrillers and nonfiction.
• Toni Jordan (born 1966), novelist.
• Neville Joske (1887-1966), novelist who, with Margot Goyder, published under the pseudonym Margot Neville.
• Mireille Juchau (born 1969), novelist.

K

• Elizabeth Kata (1912–1998), novelist.
• Nancy Keesing (1923–1993), poet, novelist and nonfiction writer.
• Antigone Kefala (born 1935), poet and fiction writer.
• Gwen Kelly (1922–2012), novelist, short story writer and poet.
• Hannah Kent (born 1985), historical novelist.
• Jacqueline Kent (born 1947), journalist, biographer and non-fiction writer.
• Doris Boake Kerr, wrote under pseudonym Capel Boake (1899–1945), novelist.
• Robin Klein (born 1936), children's writer.
• Marion Miller Knowles (1865–1949), poet, novelist, journalist.

L

• Isabel Ladds, short story writer and playwright.
• Elizabeth Lambert (born 1918), poet.
• Mary Lang (1914–1966), poet.
• Gertrude Langer (1908–1984), art critic.
• Ruby Langford Ginibi (1934–2001), historian and non-fiction writer.
• Eve Langley (1908–1974), novelist and poet.
• Dorothy Langsford (1896–1992), novelist.
• Coral Lansbury (1929–1991), novelist and academic.
• Justine Larbalestier (born 1967), writer of young adult fiction.
• Glenda Larke, fantasy novelist and non-fiction writer.
• Nel Law (1914–1990), artist, poet and diarist.
• Bertha Lawson (1876–1957), memoirist.
• Louisa Lawson (1848–1920), poet, writer, publisher, suffragist 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.
• Joyce Lee (1913–2007), poet.
• Valentine Leeper (1900–2001), classicist, polemicist and letter-writer.
• Julia Leigh (born 1970), novelist, film director and screenwriter.
• Constance Le Plastrier (1864–1938), novelist and non-fiction writer.
• Robin Levett (1925–2008), travel writer, novelist, philanthropist, pilot and racehorse breeder.
• Tanya Levin (born 1971), social worker and non-fiction writer.
• Julia Ethel Levy, playwright, novelist and poet who sometimes published under the pseudonym 'Juliet'.
• Wendy Lewis (born 1962), non-fiction writer and playwright.
• Kate Lilley (born 1960), poet and academic.
• Hilarie Lindsay (born 1922), children's writer, non-fiction writer and poet.
• Jane Lindsay (born 1920), novelist and biographer.
• Lady Joan A'Beckett Lindsay (1896–1984), novelist.
• Rose Lindsay (1885–1978), artist's model, biographer and printmaker.
• Mary Lisle (1879–1973), poet.
• Carol Liston, historian.
• Ellen Liston (1838–1885), novelist, poet and short story writer.
• Jessie Sinclair Litchfield (1883–1956), poet, non-fiction writer and editor.
• Agnes Littlejohn (1865–1944), poet, short story writer, novelist and children's writer.
• Mary Rose Liverani (born 1939), biographer and journalist.
• Kate Llewellyn (born 1936), poet, diarist and travel writer.
• Anne Lloyd (born 1954), poet.
• Jessie Georgiana Lloyd (1843–1885), novelist, essayist and short story writer who published under the pseudonym 'Silverleaf'.
• Lilian Locke (1869–1950), short story writer.
• Sumner Locke (1881–1917), novelist, dramatist, poet and short story writer.
• Amanda Lohrey (born 1947), novelist and essayist.
• Joan London (born 24 July 1948), short story writer, screenwriter and novelist.
• Abie Longstaff, children's writer.
• Gabrielle Lord (born 1946), crime novelist and short story writer.
• Melissa Lucashenko (born 1967), writer of literary fiction, non-fiction, and novels for teenagers.
• Laura Bogue Luffman (1846–1929), novelist and journalist.
• Catharine Lumby, journalist and academic.
• Dame Enid Lyons (1897–1981), biographer and politician.
• Edith Joan Lyttleton (1873–1945), novelist who mostly published under the pseudonym 'G. B. Lancaster'.

M

• Constance Jane McAdam (1872–1951), writer and suffragette who wrote under the name 'Constance Clyde'.
• Maxine McArthur (born 1962), science fiction writer.
• Nora McAuliffe, New Zealand-born poet and journalist.
• Dorothy Frances McCrae (1878–1937), poet. Also known as 'Mrs C. E. Perry'.
• 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.
• Frances Margaret McGuire (1900–1995), journalist and novelist.
• Siobhán McHugh, Irish-Australian author, podcaster and documentary-maker.
• Elisabeth MacIntyre (1916–2004), children's writer.
• Amy Mack (1876–1939), children's writer.
• Louise Mack (1870–1935), poet, journalist and novelist.
• Edith McKay (1891–1963), novelist and short story writer.
• Dorothea Mackellar (1885–1968), poet and fiction writer.
• Jan McKemmish (1950–2007), novelist and short story writer.
• Tamara McKinley (born 1948), novelist.
• Linda Macken, novelist.
• Marjorie McLeod (1893–1988), playwright and poet.
• Rhyll McMaster (born 1947), poet and novelist.
• Barbara McNamara, best known as 'Elizabeth O'Conner' (1913–2000), novelist who also wrote as 'Anne Willard'.
• 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.
• Agnes Newberry Maltby, best known as Peg Maltby (1899–1984), children's author and illustrator.
• Alana Mann (fl. 2000s), non-fiction writer on food politics
• Doris Manners-Sutton (1895–1972), novelist and journalist.
• Emily Manning (1845–1890), poet and journalist, wrote under pseudonym 'Australie'.
• Chris Mansell (born 1953), poet and publisher.
• Melina Marchetta (born 1965), novelist.
• Mary Marlowe (1892–1958), novelist and journalist who also wrote under the name 'Puck'.
• Pauline Marrington (born 1921), historical novelist.
• Catherine Edith Macauley Martin (1847–1937), novelist and journalist.
• Harriet Patchett Martin, editor and short story writer.
• Joan Mas (1926–1974), poet.
• Nuri Mass (1918–1993), children's writer and novelist.
• Olga Masters (1919–1986), journalist, novelist and short story writer.
• Christobel Mattingley (1931–2019), children's writer.
• Jan Mayman, journalist.
• Gillian Mears (1964–2016), short story writer and novelist.
• Wolla Meranda, (1863–1951), novelist.
• Gwen Meredith (1907–2006), playwright, scriptwriter and novelist.
• Louisa Meredith (1812–1895), non-fiction writer, poet, novelist and artist.
• Elyne Mitchell (1913–2002), children's writer.
• Mary Mitchell (1892–1973), novelist.
• Drusilla Modjeska (born 1946), writer and editor.
• Dora Montefiore (1851–1933), poet, autobiographer, suffragist and socialist.
• Finola Moorhead (born 1947), novelist, playwright, essayist, poet and reviewer.
• Elinor Mordaunt (1872–1942), writer and traveller.
• Musette Morell (1898–1950), playwright and children's writer.
• 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.
• Elizabeth Alicia Murray (1820–1877), novelist.
• Joanna Murray-Smith (born 1962), playwright, screenwriter, novelist, librettist and newspaper columnist.

N

• Joice NanKivell Loch, (1887–1982)), prose writer.
• Michele Nayman (born 1956), poet and fiction writer.
• Jill Neville (1932–1997), novelist, playwright and poet.
• 'Margot Neville', the collaborative pseudonym for novelist sisters Margot Goyder and Anne Neville.
• Ellen Newton (born 1896), journalist, critic and short story writer who wrote under the pseudonym 'Esther Levy'.
• 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.
• Lilith Norman (1927–2017), children's writer.
• 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, journalist and non-fiction author.
• Mary-Anne O'Connor, novelist.
• Eva O'Doherty (1826–1910), poet.
• Mietta O'Donnell (1950–2001), restaurateur, chef and food writer.
• Pixie O'Harris (1903–1991), children's author and illustrator.
• Narelle Oliver (1960–2016), artist, printmaker and children's author-illustrator.
• Kate Orman (born 1968), science fiction writer.
• Beatrice Osborn (1887–1962), novelist and poet better known by her pseudonym 'Margaret Fane'.
• Sophie Osmond, novelist.
• Caroline Overington (born 1970), journalist and author.
• Jan Owen (born 1940), poet.

P

• Margaret Paice (born 1920), children's writer.
• Helen Palmer (1917–1979), publisher, educationalist, author, historian and communist.
• Nettie Palmer (1885–1964), poet, essayist and literary critic.
• Laura Palmer-Archer (1864–1929), short story writer who wrote 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.
• Anne Chapman Parratt (1926–2016), poet.
• Anne Spencer Parry (1931–1985), fantasy writer.
• Kate Partridge (1871–1953), novelist and poet who also used the pseudonym 'Sydney Partridge'.
• Jacqueline Pascarl (born 1963), memoirist and parents' rights advocate.
• Mary Elwyn Patchett (1897–1989), children's writer.
• Marie Winifred Peacock, novelist.
• Ethel Pedley (1859–1898), author and musician.
• Lydia Pender (1907–2005), children's writer.
• Barbara Pepworth (born 1955), writer.
• Grace Perry (1927–1987), poet, publisher and editor.
• Barbara Petrie (born 1942), poet and children's writer.
• Hoa Pham, novelist, children's writer and short story 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 advocate for women's and children's welfare.
• Sue-Ann Post (born 1964), comedian and writer
• Marguerite Helen Power (1870–1957), poet.
• Muriel Faucett Power (1876–1951), poet and children's writer.
• Eve Pownall (1901–1982), children's writer and historian.
• Rosa Praed (1851–1935), novelist who also wrote as 'Mrs Campbell Praed'.
• 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.
• Kathryn Purnell (1911–2006), poet and editor.
• Lilian Maxwell Pyke (c.1881–1927), children's writer and novelist who also wrote under the pseudonym 'Erica Maxwell'.

Q

• Betty Quin (died 1993), script writer.
• Tarella Quinn (1877–1934), children's writer and novelist.

R

• Therese Radic (born 1935), playwright and musician.
• Elizabeth Ramsay-Laye, novelist and non-fiction writer who also wrote under the pseudonym 'Isabel Massary'.
• Jennifer Rankin (1941–1979), poet and playwright.
• Kerry Reed-Gilbert (1956–2019), poet and author.
• Rosemary Rees (1876–1963), novelist.
• Annie Rattray Rentoul, (1882–1978), children's novelist and poet.
• Ethel Richardson, known by her pseudonym Henry Handel Richardson (1870–1946), novelist.
• Elizabeth Riddell / Betty Riddell (1910–1998), poet and journalist.
• Elizabeth Riley (writer), novelist.
• Georgia Rivers / Georgia Rivers/Marjorie Clark (1897–) novelist and short story writer.
• Annie Louisa Rixon / Annie Rixon-Suddert / Mrs Richard de Clare, novelist.
• Marjorie Robertson, short story writer.
• Mary Ann Robertson, poet.
• Judith Rodriguez (1936–2018), poet.
• Jill Roe (1940–2017), historian, academic and author.
• Betty Roland (1903–1996), writer of plays, screenplays, novels, children's books and comics.
• Heather Rose (born 1964), novelist.
• Agnes Rose-Soley / Rose De Boheme (c.1845–1938), journalist and poet.
• Alice Grant Rosman (1887–1961), novelist.
• Jennifer Rowe (born 1948), novelist, who also writes under the pseudonym 'Emily Rodda'.
• Frances Emily Russell (1846–1899), novelist.
• Gig Ryan (born 1956), poet.
• Liliana Rydzynski, poet, short story writer and essayist.

S

• Eva Sallis (born 1964), novelist, who also writes as Eva Hornung.
• Elizabeth Salter (1918–1981), novelist, biographer and academic.
• Dorothy Lucy Sanders / Lucy Walker (1907–1987)
• Effie Sandery / Elizabeth Powell (born c.1898), children's writer and journalist.
• Dipti Saravanamuttu (born 1960), Sri Lankan-Australian poet and academic.
• Georgia Savage, novelist.
• Julianne Schultz (born 1956), non-fiction writer.
• Margaret Scott (1934–2005), poet, critic and academic.
• Maria J. Scott, novelist who also wrote under the pseudonym 'Mist'.
• Natalie Scott (born 1928), novelist, journalist and children's writer.
• Rosie Scott (1948–2017), novelist.
• Jocelynne Scutt (born 1947), non-fiction writer and lawyer.
• Alexandra Seddon (born 1944), poet.
• Winifred Maitland Shaw (born 1905), poet.
• Jill Shearer (born 1935), playwright.
• Robin Sheiner (born 1940), novelist and short story writer.
• Catherine Shepherd (1912–1976), playwright.
• Helen Simpson (1897–1940), novelist, playwright and historian.
• Mary Simpson (born 1884), short story writer and playwright who published under the pseudonym 'Weeroona'.
• Millie Skinner (1876–1955), novelist.
• Tracy Sorensen, novelist and academic.
• Catherine Helen Spence (1825–1910), novelist, journalist and social reformer.
• Eleanor Spence (1928–2008), children's author.
• Dale Spender (born 1943), feminist scholar, writer and consultant.
• Lady Jean Maud Spender (1901–1970), crime novelist under the name J. M. Spender.
• Leonie Sperling (born 1937), novelist.
• Mary Brodie Sproule (died 1936), essayist.
• Nicolette Stasko (born 1950), poet, novelist and non-fiction writer.
• Christina Stead (1902–1983), novelist.
• Barbara Stellmach (born 1930), playwright.
• Amanda Stewart (born 1959), poet and sound/performance artist.
• Patricia Stonehouse / Harlingham Quinn / Lindsay Russell (1883–1964, novelist.
• 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 (1893–1998), also wrote as Daniel Hamline, children's author.
• Kylie Tennant (1912–1988), novelist, playwright, historian, critic and children's author.
• Angela Thirkell / 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.
• Christine Townsend (born 1944), novelist and animal welfare activist.
• Jessica Townsend (born 1985), children's fantasy author.
• Pamela Lyndon Travers (1899–1996), children's author.
• Margaret Trist (1914–1986), novelist and short story writer.
• 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, writer of fiction and non-fiction.
• Lin Van Hek (born 1944), novelist and short story writer.
• Joanne van Os, writer of memoir, 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.
• Edith Vivian (1881–1903), poet.
• Michelle Vogel (born 1972), Australian-born film historian, author and free-lance 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 (born 1951), poet, prose writer and visual artist.
• Elizabeth Russel Ward / Biff Ward (born 1942), non-fiction writer.
• Kathleen Watson (1870–1926), novelist.
• Marjorie Weatherly (1884–1967), novelist and poet.
• Elizabeth Catherine Webb, journalist and novelist.
• Sarah Welch / 'Europa', novelist and poet.
• Kate Weston (1863–1929), novelist.
• Nadia Wheatley (born 1949), children's novelist and freelance writer.
• Ellen Whinnett (born 1971), journalist.
• Myrtle Rose White (1888–1961), prose writer.
• Susan Whiting (born 1947), poet.
• 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, artist, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and sculptor.
• Justina Williams, also known as Joan Williams (1916–2008), journalist, poet and historian.
• Ruth Williams (writer) (1897–1962), children's writer.
• Helen Helga Wilson (1902–1991), novelist, short story writer, poet and historian.
• Margaret Wilson, television writer.
• Tara June Winch (born 1983), novelist and short story writer
• Dallas Winmar (living, Au), 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 autobiographical writer.
• Susan Nugent Wood, (1836–1880), Australian-born New Zealand poet and essayist.
• Elizabeth Wood-Ellem (1930–2012), Tongan-born historian.
• Angela Woollacott (born 1955), historian.
• Alexis Wright (born 1950), novelist, short story writer and non-fiction writer.
• Judith Wright (1915–2000), poet and environmental activist.
• June Wright (1919–2012), crime novelist, short story writer and non-fiction writer.
• Patricia Wrightson (1921–2010), children's writer.
• Ida Alexa Ross Wylie (1885–1959), novelist.

Z

• Jane Zageris (born 1948), poet and artist.
• Rose Zwi (born 1928), Mexican-born South African-Australian novelist and short story writer.
• Fay Zwicky (1933–2017), poet, short story writer, critic and academic.