Whilst several of his works demonstrated his progressive political philosophy, he is best known as "a writer of animal stories and a sensitive interpreter of Australian bush life in the tradition of Henry Lawson, Joseph Furphy and Vance Palmer.

His father was Frederick Davison, a printer, publisher, editor, journalist and writer of fiction; and his mother was Amelia, née Watterson.

However, the farm failed, and, in 1923, he and his family moved to Sydney, where he worked in real estate and as an advertising manager for his father's magazines, the Australian and Australia.

[4] In 1951, they bought a farm called "Folding Hills" at Arthurs Creek, Victoria, where he wrote his last major work, The White Thorntree (1968).

Davison began writing full-time during the depression, adopting, at this time, the names Frank Dalby to distinguish himself from his father.

[7] Davison was active in the Fellowship of Australian Writers and, through the 1930s, formed a close working relationship with Marjorie Barnard and Flora Eldershaw.

Barnard, Eldershaw and Davison were known as the "triumvirate" for their work in developing progressive policies through the Fellowship on such issues as civil liberties and censorship.

[13] His concern about the destruction of the Australian natural environment and his political interest in promoting "liberal democratic values" are reflected in his writings.

[4] Smith suggests that while much of his writing focuses on nature and the land, several stories and his last book explore the emotional and sexual relationships between men and women.