William McArthur Mayo (Bill) and Eliza Mary (Lila), née Saxelby corresponded frequently with their daughter Daphne. Sometimes both parents would write individual letters to Daphne on the same day, at other times they would each write in the same letter, and they would also write to her individually. There are approximately 1422 items of correspondence in this subseries dating from 1919 to 1959. Bill would often write about financial matters including Daphne's rental property in Brisbane. Occasionally Lilia would get the date wrong and, if discernible, this date has been corrected in pencil on the letter. As Lila's health deteriorated, her handwritten became more difficult to read.

Correspondence from Manning Clark – 13 letters.
Comprises:
[File 1]: 1974 to 1991. Includes: 17 Jan 1990 – enclosing a typescript with manuscript emendations; 21 May 1991 – two days before his death – writing ‘David, I will miss you. […]. Manning’.

Correspondence from Judith Rodriguez – 130 letters (1964; 1974 – 2016):
[File 1]: 1964; 1974 to 1978; incl. 10 Oct 1977, enclosing 24 ex libris printed by her for Malouf (21 letters)
[File 2]: 1980 to 1987 (46 letters)
[File 3]: 1988 to 2016 (63 letters)

Correspondence from Jeffrey Smart – 26 letters (undated, 1978 to 2012)
[File 1]: 1978 to 1991; 1999; 2012. In a letter of 13 Sep 1980 Smart writes: ‘Dear David, It’s midnight. I’ve come down to the studio to look again at your portrait […] it is, I feel sure, the best picture I have ever painted.’

Correspondence from Helen Garner – 125 letters (1982 to 2014)
Comprises:
[File 1]: 1982 to 1985 – 22 letters
[File 2]: 1986 – 29 letters (including 8-page typescript of a short story titled ‘What we say’)
[File 3]: 1987 to 2000 – 61 letters
[File 4]: 2003 to 2014 – 13 letters

Correspondence from Elizabeth Riddell, Mrs Elizabeth Greatorex – 41 letters
Comprises:
[File 1]: 1974 to 1998

These letters written by Daphne to her parents are presumed to be from the estate of her mother, Lila Mayo. Daphne wrote letters to both her parents and to each parent individually.

Correspondence from Chatto & Windus / Carmen Callil – 60 letters (1978 to 1991)
[File 1]: 1978 to 1991.
Letters from editors at Chatto & Windus.
1978 to 1982: Norah Smallwood and D J Enright (6)
1982 to 1991: Carmen Callil.
A few letters by others at Chatto & Windus, including Andrew Motion

Correspondence from Bruce Beaver – 22 letters
Comprises:
[File 1]: 1975 to 1999

Correspondence from publishers, journals, literary organisations, readers, school children about The big bazoohley, book covers, invitations, literary agents, other writers, reviews (sent by agents and publishers), personal letters.