List of famous writers from Australia, listed alphabetically with photos when available. Australia is home to many prolific writers, including those who write fiction, non-fiction, poetry, biographies and more. These are some of the best Australian writers that have ever lived, so if you're a native of Australia and an aspiring writer then use this list as inspiration to achieve your own writing goals.
This list contains writers like Michael Wilding and Ken Spillman.
This list answers the questions, "Who are popular Australian writers?" and "Which writers are from Australia?"
You can click on the names of these renowned writers of Australia in order to get more information about each one. Some of these historic writers may no longer be living in Australia, but they're all of Australia descent.1
J. M. Coetzee
Age: 80Birthplace: Cape Town, South Africa
Nationality: Australia, South Africa
Works: Waiting for the Barbarians, Slow Man, Youth: Scenes from Provincial Life II, Foe, Disgrace
John Maxwell Coetzee () (born 9 February 1940) is a South African-born novelist, essayist,... more2
Garth Nix
Age: 57Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Works: The Keys To the Kingdom, Book 2, Sabriel, Abhorsen, Drowned Wednesday
Garth Richard Nix (born 19 July 1963) is an Australian writer who specialises in children's... more3
Colleen McCullough
Age: 83Birthplace: Wellington, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Works: The Thorn Birds, An Indecent Obsession, AN INDECENT OBSESSION, The October Horse, Antony and Cleopatra
Colleen Margaretta McCullough (; married name Robinson, previously Ion-Robinson; 1 June 1937... more4
Markus Zusak
Age: 45Birthplace: Sydney, Australia
Nationality: Australia, Germany
Works: The Book Thief, The Messenger, The Underdog, When Dogs Cry, Fighting Ruben Wolfe
Markus Frank Zusak (born 23 June 1975) is an Australian writer. He is best known for The Book... more
5Gregory David Roberts
Age: 68Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Works: Shantaram, Shantaram
Gregory David Roberts (born Gregory John Peter Smith; 21 June 1952) is an Australian author... more6
Mel Gibson
Age: 64Birthplace: Peekskill, New York, United States of America
Nationality: Republic of Ireland, United States of America
Works: The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto, Get the Gringo
Mel Colmcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is... more7
Kylie Minogue
Age: 52Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Works: The Showgirl Princess, K, Kylie: La La La
Kylie Ann Minogue, (; born 28 May 1968), also known mononymously as Kylie, is an Australian... more8
Leigh Whannell
Age: 43Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Works: Saw, Insidious, Saw II, Saw III, The Only Witness
Leigh Whannell (born 17 January 1977) is an Australian screenwriter, producer, director, and... more- 9
Greg Egan
Age: 59Birthplace: Perth, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Works: Permutation City, Diaspora, Distress, Quarantine, Schild's Ladder
Greg Egan (born 20 August 1961) is an Australian science fiction writer and amateur... more 10
Germaine Greer
Age: 81Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Works: Whitefella Jump Up, The Change, The Female Eunuch, The obstacle race, The Whole Woman
Germaine Greer (; born 29 January 1939) is an Australian writer and public intellectual,... more11
Dorothy Hewett
Dec. at 79 (1923-2002)Birthplace: Perth, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Works: Nowhere, Rapunzel in suburbia, The toucher, Wheatlands, Pandora's cross
Dorothy Coade Hewett (21 May 1923 – 25 August 2002) was an Australian feminist poet, novelist... more12
Clive James
Age: 81Birthplace: Kogarah, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Works: Cultural Amnesia: Notes in the Margin of My Time, As of This Writing: The Essential Essays, 1968-2002, Unreliable Memoirs, North Face of Soho
Clive James (born 7 October 1939) is an Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet,... more13
Sean Williams
Age: 53Birthplace: Whyalla, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Works: The Crooked Letter, The Dark Imbalance, Metal Fatigue, The Storm Weaver and the Sand, Saturn Returns
Sean Llewellyn Williams (born in Whyalla, South Australia on 23 May 1967) is a New York Times... more- 14
Nan Chauncy
Dec. at 70 (1900-1970)Birthplace: Northwood, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom, Australia
Works: The roaring 40, Lizzie Lights, Mathinna's people, Hunted in their own land, Half a world away.
Nan Chauncy (28 May 1900 – 1 May 1970) was a British-born Australian children's writer.... more - 15
Jeannie Baker
Age: 70Birthplace: Croydon, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom, Australia
Works: Window, Home, Where the forest meets the sea, Belonging, The hidden forest
Jeannie Baker is English-born Australian children's picture book author and artist, known for... more 16
Frank Dalby Davison
Dec. at 77 (1893-1970)Birthplace: Hawthorn, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Works: Dusty, Children of the dark people, The road to yesterday, The wells of Beersheba and other stories, The white thorntree
Frank Dalby Davison (23 June 1893 – 24 May 1970), also known as F.D. Davison and Freddie... more17
Paddy O'Reilly is a multiple award-winning Australian writer. Her first major short story... more18
Christopher Lee
Age: 98Birthplace: Belgravia, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: England
Works: The Bath Detective, Rungs on a Ladder, The House II, Classic Tales of the Supernatural, The Madrigal
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor, singer... more19
Anthony LaPaglia
Age: 61Birthplace: Adelaide, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Anthony M. LaPaglia (, Italian pronunciation: [laˈpaʎʎa]; born 31 January 1959) is an... more20
Errol Flynn
Dec. at 50 (1909-1959)Birthplace: Hobart, Australia
Nationality: United States of America, United Kingdom, Australia
Works: Cuban Rebel Girls, Showdown, From a life of adventure, Beam ends, My Wicked
Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-born American... more21
Nick Cave
Age: 63Birthplace: Warracknabeal, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Works: Lawless, The Proposition, Ghosts… of the Civil Dead, The Death of Bunny Munro, And the Ass Saw the Angel
Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter,... more22
Ben Elton
Age: 61Birthplace: Catford, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: England, Australia
Works: Maybe Baby, Popcorn, Blackadder: Back & Forth, The First Casualty, Blast from the Past
Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is a British-Australian comedian, author, playwright,... more23
Bryan Brown
Age: 73Birthplace: Sydney, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Bryan Neathway Brown, AM (born 23 June 1947) is an Australian actor. He has performed in over... more24
John Bell
Age: 80Birthplace: Maitland, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Works: The time of my life
John Bell may refer to:... more25
Barry Humphries
Age: 86Birthplace: Kew Vic, Australia
Nationality: Australia
Works: The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, Les Patterson Saves the World, MY GORGEOUS LIFE, My Life as Me
John Barry Humphries, (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, satirist,... more
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