Born in Sydney, Vinson grew up in the southern beach suburb of Cronulla. As a teenager, Vinson trained and competed at a national level in swimming, holding a total of four state records throughout high school. Vinson began singing, dancing and acting at a young age, becoming the third generation in her family of performers. In 1945 Vinson's grandmother was the youngest ballerina to be offered a scholarship in the Brovansky Ballet Company in England. At the age of twelve, Vinson enrolled as a student at the Brent Street School of Performing Arts in Sydney.
Vinson's follow-up role was in Universal Pictures Straight-to-DVD film Blue Crush 2, a sequel to the 2002 Drama/Romance film Blue Crush which starred Kate Bosworth and Michelle Rodriguez. Vinson portrayed the role of the film's villain Tara, an internationally successful pro-surfer. The film was released in June 2011. In October 2010 Vinson returned to Australia to begin production on Vinson's first role in an Australian film in the Paramount Pictures horror film Bait 3D as Tina, the protagonist's ex-girlfriend. The film follows a group of people trapped inside a flooded supermarket, following a freak tsunami, with a 12-foot great white shark. Vinson was reunited with former Home and Away cast member Lincoln Lewis. The film was shot in Brisbane on a $20 million budget. The film which was released in September 2012, was released to mixed reviews and failed to make an impact on the domestic box office. However the film's found international box office success in China, Italy and Thailand, with the film returning its budget earning $29 million worldwide.
Following her short-lived stint with Foxfire IV, Vinson made her acting debut portraying minor characters in two episodes of the Australian soap opera Home and Away in both 2001 and 2003. Vinson left an impression on the Home and Away casting agent, who subsequently requested her for a regular role on the series. Vinson initially auditioned for the role of Martha MacKenzie, but lost out on the part to fellow cast member at the time Jodi Gordon. Vinson instead portrayed the role of Cassie Turner, a troubled teenager who is taken into foster care after numerous run-ins with the police. Vinson quickly proved popular with the show's audience, receiving a nomination for "Most Popular New Female Talent" for her portrayal of Cassie Turner at the Logie Awards of 2006. In July 2007, speculation arose that Vinson intended to leave the series in order to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles. In November that same year, Vinson confirmed that she would indeed be leaving the series. Vinson's final appearance on the show was on 2 April 2008.
In March 2009, Vinson was cast as Natalie, the female lead in Step Up 3D, the third installment of the Step Up film series. Vinson's appearance in the film was marked as her breakout role, having been her most high-profile role since relocating to America. Vinson's character is a talented and somewhat mysterious Dancer, who faces a hard decision between love and family. After initially ultimately joining her boyfriend's dance crew and helping them to victory over the crew of her under-handed and immoral brother. Filming took place in New York City. Despite mixed reviews, the film was a box office success going on to gross over $159 million worldwide and being the highest-grossing installment of the trilogy.
The year following her Home and Away departure, Vinson made her American television debut on the TBS sitcom My Boys. Vinson has since appeared on a number of other American network television series such as NCIS and CSI: NY alongside former boyfriend A.J. Buckley. Vinson's last television role to date was a guest appearance on the final season of the CBS Crime television series Cold Case which aired in 2010. Vinson also appeared in Matchbox Twenty's "Put Your Hands Up".
Following Bait 3D, Vinson was cast in another horror film project, which went on to be Vinson's most critically acclaimed role to date. You're Next centers on a family reunion, that goes terribly wrong once a group of mysterious masked killers start killing off each person one by one. Vinson portrayed the role of the film's protagonist Erin, the girlfriend to one of the family's son's. Vinson was able to portray Erin with her natural Australian accent. Initially an independent film, the film's premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival secured the film with a distribution deal with Lionsgate. However the film was not released till almost two years later following the festival, securing a North American release date in August 2013. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, with Vinson's performance praised with Total Film placing her character in the number one spot on its '50 Most Bad-Ass Female Horror Leads'.
In March 2014 Vinson appeared in the Australian independent film Patrick, a remake of the 1978 film of the same name. Another horror project for Vinson. Vinson portrayed the role of a nurse Kathy Jacquar, whose comatose patient Patrick uses his psychic powers to stalk her. In July 2013, the film premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival and received a limited theatrical release in March 2014, in both Australia only. The film is Vinson's most critically acclaimed film to date, receiving 83% on Rotten Tomatoes based on eighteen film reviews. In 2015, Vinson appears alongside John Cusack and Jackie Chan in Dragon Blade.
