# 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.

## 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 (born 1967), writer of fantasy, horror and romance novels
* Helen Asher (1927–2001), 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 (1951–2005), poet and playwright
* 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 (living), 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 (1951–2024), 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
* Ali Cobby Eckermann (born 1963), poet
* 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
* June Epstein (1918–2004), author, musician, radio broadcaster, disability advocate
* 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 (living), 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 1954/55), 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 (1945–2022), 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 (living), 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 (born 1953), fiction and nonfiction writer
* Judy Johnson (born 1961), poet and novelist
* 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
* Lorraine Kember (born 1950), author, blogger, caregiver advocate, and speaker
* 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
* Gretel Killeen (born 1963), comedy writer
* Robin Klein (born 1936), children's writer
* Marion Knowles (1865–1949), poet, novelist and journalist
* Sarah Krasnostein (living), American-Australian non-fiction writer and legal academic

## L

* Dulcie Dunlop Ladds (1906–1972), short stories and plays
* 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
* Jeannie Lockett (1847–1890), schoolteacher and writer
* 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 (living), 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 (1929–2019), arachnologist and non-fiction writer
* 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
* Heather Morris (born 1953), 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
* Margo Neale (fl. 2000), historian and curator
* 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 (born 1967), 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
* Thuy On (living), poet and arts journalist
* 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 (living), children's writer and illustrator
* Mirandi Riwoe (living), novelist and short story writer
* 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 (living), Nepalese-Australian novelist, story writer, poet and lyricist
* Tracy Sorensen (living), 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 (living), fiction and non-fiction writer
* Lin Van Hek (living), fiction writer
* Joanne van Os (born 1955), 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 (living), 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 (living), 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 (1928–2018), Mexican-born South African-Australian fiction writer
* Fay Zwicky (1933–2017), poet, short story writer, critic and academic