Born in Gosport, England, Upfield arrived in Australia in 1910, and, except for a period of military service from 1914-1920 (leaving in 1915 and returning to Australia in 1921), made Australia his home.  

As a result of 'going bush', working on runs on the darling River, and as a fencer, rabbit trapper, kangarro shooter and any other job going round the stations of the Australian outback, he became a quintessential bushman.  He worked from NSW through Qld, SA and WA, and did not pursue full-time writing until the 1930s when he began as a journalist.

In 1932 he was involved in the 'Murchison murders' case, a sensational and highly published murder case in which a bushman of his acquaintance used the method Upfield had outlined in his novel 'The Sands of Windee' to dispose of the bodies of his victims.  This boosted readership of Upfield's work and his career as a crime writer.

Upfield had a distinguished career as a crime writer, and bears the honour of being the first non-American to be awarded full membership of the Mystery writer's Guild of America.  His best known works are his series of 29 books about his half-caste Australian aboriginal detective' Napoleon Bonaparte' or Bony.  A TV series called 'Boney', loosely based on the books, was even made in the 1970s.

Upfield also wrote articles on various facets of the Australian lifestyle and led an expedition to the Kimberleys in the 1960s under the auspices of the Australian National Geographic Society.