Anne Farrell received most of her education at home through the Tasmanian State Correspondence School. She started writing seriously at the age of 13, submitting short stories for the NSW School Magazine and at 16 an article for the Women's Weekly.
Anne Farrell's books for children reflect her own interests in photography, boating and bark painting and many of her characters are based on herself. Her sister Sally Farrell Odgers (q.v.) also writes for children.