Wasikowska was born and raised in Canberra, Australia. She has an older sister named Jess, and a younger brother named Kai. Her mother, Marzena Wasikowska, is a photographer from Poland while her father, John Reid, is an Australian painter-and-collagist. As a child, she frequently accompanied her parents on their gallery rounds in Europe, and in her spare time, she continues to enjoy photography. She studied ballet as a child and turned to acting when she was 15. 