Poetry Magazines in Australia

A guide to active poetry magazines and literary journals with a substantial poetry component in Australia, with particular attention to independent magazines and useful publication opportunities for poets.

Please note: submission windows change frequently. A magazine may be active while temporarily closed to unsolicited work. Always check the publication's own current guidelines before submitting.
MagazineFormatAbout
Australian Poetry JournalPrint / onlineAustralian Poetry's national journal, publishing contemporary poetry and poetry-related work through issue-based calls. Website / current guidelines
Cordite Poetry ReviewOnlineMajor Australian poetry journal publishing Australian and international poetry, criticism, essays, translations and themed issues. Poetry calls use periodic submission windows. Website / current guidelines
RabbitPrint / onlineIndependent journal specialising in nonfiction poetry. Now publishes an annual alongside interviews and poetry-related material. Website / current guidelines
Mascara Literary ReviewOnlineIndependent Australian journal with a strong poetry strand and particular commitment to First Nations, culturally and linguistically diverse, disabled and neurodivergent writers, human rights and experimentation. Website / current guidelines
OverlandPrint / onlineLong-running Australian literary journal publishing poetry alongside essays, fiction and art. Poetry appears in print and occasional online editions. Website / current guidelines
MeanjinPrint / onlineOne of Australia's longest-running literary magazines, publishing poetry, fiction, essays and criticism through scheduled reading periods. Website / current guidelines
IslandPrint / onlineTasmanian literary and arts magazine publishing poetry, fiction, nonfiction and graphic work, with periodic submission opportunities and the Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize. Website / current guidelines
WesterlyPrint / onlineWestern Australian literary magazine publishing poetry, fiction, memoir, creative nonfiction, essays and criticism, normally through issue-based submission windows. Website / current guidelines
SoutherlyPrint / onlineLong-established Australian literary journal publishing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and criticism. Creative calls operate in defined reading periods. Website / current guidelines
Going Down SwingingPrint / online / digitalIndependent literary journal publishing poetry, spoken and experimental work, fiction, nonfiction, comics and digital literature. Submission windows vary. Website / current guidelines
Keeping this directory current: Poetry Kit welcomes information from editors about new magazines, changed web addresses, submission arrangements and publications which have closed. We particularly want these listings to represent independent magazines as well as larger literary journals.

Substantially reviewed October 2026.