Like other requiem sharks, the Australian blacktip shark is viviparous: once the embryos exhaust their yolk supply, the depleted yolk sac develops into a placental connection through which the mother provides sustenance. Females bear litters of one to six pups (average three) every year. Mating takes place in February and March, with the females storing the sperm until ovulation in March and April. After a gestation period of 10 months, the young are born around January of the following year. Near-term females move into shallow, coastal nurseries, such as Cleveland Bay in northern Queensland, to give birth. Such nursery areas appear to be widespread, as newborns have been recorded throughout the range of the species. The newborns are relatively large, measuring about long. They grow rapidly in their first year, increasing in length by an average of . The growth rate subsequently slows, averaging per year by age five. Both sexes attain sexual maturity at three to four years of age, at lengths of roughly for males and females, respectively. The maximum lifespan is estimated to be 20 years.