Tasma Walton (born 19 August 1973) is an Aboriginal Australian stage, television, and film actress and writer. She became known for her role as Rachel Watson in Home and Away from 1995, and has since appeared in many films and television series, including Blue Heelers (as Constable Dash McKinley), The Secret Life of Us, Cleverman , Mystery Road, The Twelve, and, most recently, Reckless, which she created and wrote. She has also written two novels, and as of September 2026 is working on an original screenplay for a new TV series. Her 2025 historical novel I am Nannertgarrook is the co-winner of the 2026 ARA Historical Novel Prize.
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Early life and education
Tasma Walton was born on 19 August 1973 in Geraldton, a small city in Western Australia on the coast 400 km (250 mi) north of Perth. She grew up living in public housing with a single mother, the second youngest of four sisters. Her mother read to the girls every night.
Two experiences while in high school sparked her interest in acting: an inspiring drama teacher, who cast Walton in Euripides' Medea for a school production, and a school trip to a performance of Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman at the The Hole in the Wall Theatre in Subiaco, Perth.
Walton first joined home-town radio station 6GE and trained as a production assistant and copywriter.
She moved across the country to Sydney around 1991, aged 18, to forge her own path. She trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) for two years (1992–3), but dropped out before graduating.
In her late 30s she discovered she is of Boonwurrung (Bunurong) descent on her mother's side. The Boonwurrung people are an Aboriginal saltwater people of the Melbourne area.
Career
Acting
Walton started her acting career on stage. During her time studying at NIDA, Walton acted in several productions at the NIDA Parade Theatre 1 in 1992 and 1993.
She has subsequently continued to perform on stage, in between her film and television commitments.
In 1995, Walton played the recurring role of Rachel Watson in Home and Away.
In 1996, Walton was cast as Dash McKinley in the police drama series Blue Heelers. Her character was introduced halfway through Season 3. She also played another character, Kim Trelor, in the same series. In the same year, she made her film debut in Fistful of Flies. Her last episode of Blue Heelers ("The Full Circle") screened in 1999.
In 2009, Walton joined the cast of City Homicide in the semi-regular role of criminal profiler, Claudia Leigh. In July 2013, it was announced that Walton had rejoined the cast of Home and Away in the recurring role of Jade Montgomery. She was on the show for two seasons.
In 2016, Walton appeared in three episodes of Rake. After discovering her Aboriginal ancestry she also had a regular role on Cleverman (2016–2017). In 2018, she joined the cast of another Indigenous themed show, Mystery Road, reprising her role from the 2013 film of the same name. She returned for the second season in 2020.
In 2023 Walton appeared in the Seven Network series The Claremont Murders, and she joined the second season of Foxtel series The Twelve in July 2024.
She played a lead role in the 2025 comedy drama series Reckless, which she had also created and written.
Other film and TV appearances include Water Rats, Sea Patrol, The Postcard Bandit, and the 2005 short Perdition.
Writing
Walton has also written novels and has worked in many writers' rooms and workshops during the development of film, television and theatre productions.
Her novel Heartless was published in 2009, and was nominated for an ABIA Award for General Fiction.
Walton has also written a series of children's books entitled Nerra: Deep Time Traveller, the first book of which (The Broken Rainbow) was longlisted for the DANZ Children's Book Award.
I am Nannertgarrook, published in 2025, is a semi-fictional historical novel based on the experiences of her great-great-great grandmother, a Bunurong woman named Nannertgarrook, who was abducted by sealers and sold into slavery in the 1830s. When Walton was a child, she was told through her family that Nannertgarrook had fallen in love with a merchant seaman and eloped with him, and Walton wanted to expose some of the true history of the period. On being longlisted for the Stella Prize, the judges wrote: "A page-turner that is also deeply researched; beautifully written and very accessible; an embodiment of Walton's First Nations heritage and culture that welcomes all readers into its rich emotional landscape". The book was shortlisted for the Nib Literary Award and the People's Choice Prize, as well as being the joint winner (with Robbie Arnott for his 2024 novel Dusk) of the ARA Historical Novel Prize.
Walton created, wrote, and took a lead role in the 2025 TV series Reckless. On 24 February 2026 the ABC commissioned a new six-part crime drama series created by her, titled Pilli Sisters PI. As of September 2026 Walton is working on the new series, her first work set entirely in Western Australia. At the centre are Marlee and May, two middle-aged Aboriginal who work as private investigators. As yet the cast is unknown.
Recognition and awards
Acting
1996: Winner, Sochi Film Festival Award for Best Actress, for Fistful of Flies
1997: Winner, Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent, at the 39th Annual TV Week Logie Awards, for her role as "Constable Dash McKinley" on Blue Heelers
2014: Nominated, Best Actress at the 3rd AACTA Awards, for her role in Mystery Road
Writing
Nominated, ABIA Award for General Fiction
Co-winner (with Robbie Arnott), ARA Historical Novel Prize
Shortlisted, Western Australian Premier's Book Awards – Fiction Book of the Year
Longlisted, Stella Prize
Shortlisted, Nib Literary Award
Personal life
Walton was in a relationship with fellow actor Danny Roberts for seven and a half years until 2004. She began dating Rove McManus in October 2007. They married in a private ceremony in Broome, Western Australia, on 16 June 2009. In December 2013, Walton and McManus announced the birth of their daughter, Ruby. They remain together as of 2025.
Filmography
Theatre
Walton has also performed extensively on stage, including the following productions:
