Nadia Wheatley was born in Sydney in NSW. At the age of 9 she went into informal foster after the death of her mother. She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Sydney (1970) and a Masters from Macquarie University (1976). She was also award an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sydney in 2014. Nadia Wheatley has written children's books (many of which have received awards), biography and memoir. Her biography of another Australian writer, Charmian Clift, was awarded a NSW History Award in 2002.