Where "Knackered" Comes From
British in origin. Etymonline records "knackered" from 1883, from the verb "knacker" (1855), probably from the noun for a slaughterer of worn-out horses; the ultimate origin is uncertain. It has been adopted into Australian English, where it sits alongside "buggered" and "stuffed."
Source: knackered (Etymonline)
“The kids were up at five, so I'm completely knackered by lunchtime.”
“That old lawnmower is knackered, I think it's time to replace it.”
"I'm knackered after that bushwalk, need a lie down."
How Aussies Actually Use It
Sits alongside "buggered" and "stuffed" as one of several Australian go-to words for exhaustion.
Knackered is a casual, mildly rude-sounding word for being worn out, but it isn't offensive in the way some swearing is. You will hear it from colleagues at the end of a long week or from parents after a day with the kids. It usually describes physical or mental tiredness after effort, and it turns up in first person more than about others: 'I'm knackered' is far more common than 'he's knackered'.
Compared with 'buggered', it comes across as a touch gentler and a bit more British-sounding, so some speakers reach for it when they want to avoid the stronger word around people they don't know well. 'Stuffed' is similar again. A learner tip: it can also describe a broken machine or car ('the washing machine's knackered'), so context tells you whether it's a person or a thing.
See also: Buggered (closest Australian equivalent for exhaustion), Stuffed (another way to say worn out), Cooked (newer slang for being exhausted).
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