This Is What The Cast Of ‘McLeod’s Daughters’ Look Like Now

Anyone who grew up with a television in Australia and New Zealand in the early ’00s has memories of watching the leading ladies of McLeod’s Daughters riding their horses through the Australian country side and dealing with the tough realities of farm life on Drover’s Run.

A bonafide classic Aussie TV drama, McLeod’s Daughters earned a Logie Award for Most Popular Drama Program and Most Popular Australian Program during it’s time on the air. But it was a world away from our other favourite guilty pleasures at the time (read: Kath & Kim and Neighbours). The women ran things on Drover’s Run, and despite people *cough* men *cough* frequently trying to get in their way, they still managed to keep that cattle ranch afloat. Which is a miracle when you consider the fact that farming is a declining industry in Australia.

But what about the Australian actresses behind these salt-of-the-earth female characters, and their many male love interests? Keep scrolling to see what the cast of McLeod’s Daughters looks like now — 24 years after the show first aired in 2001.

Lisa Chappell (Claire)

Lisa Chappell played Claire McLeod from season one until her tragic death in season three, and scored two Logies for her portrayal of the quintessential Aussie farm girl.

During her stint on the show we always appreciated her natural beauty and practical wardrobe (we’ve never seen an Akubra look so good), and 24 years on Lisa hasn’t changed much, except these days the actress is sporting a cropped pixie cut.

Show of hands, who else was traumatised after watching Claire plummet off a cliff in her ute? Yep, same.

Bridie Carter (Tess)

Bridie Carter played ‘city-slicker-turned-farmer’ Tess Silverman in McLeod’s Daughters from seasons one to six.

Just like her character in the show, Bridie grew up in Melbourne and fell in love with farming through her time at Drover’s Run.

These days you’ll find Bridie on her Byron Bay farm with her family, although she still looks like she’s on the McLeod’s Daughters set with her laid back country style and bare face.

Rachel Carpani (Jodi)

The illegitimate love child of the late Jack McLeod and his housekeeper, Meg Fountain, Jodi didn’t find out she was a McLeod’s Daughter until she was 22.

She also faked her death and went into witness protection at one point — so she’s not a character that you could ever accuse of being dull, per say.

Actress Rachel Carpani lent her vibrant personality and natural curls to the young (and sometimes naive) Jodi, who we watched grow up at Drover’s Run. It’s been over 20 years since the show first aired, but Rachel looks just as youthful as she did in 2001.

Abi Tucker (Grace)

Abi Tucker played Grace McLeod, the daughter of Hugh McLeod and Jack McLeod’s niece. Grace and her sister, Regan, both inherited a portion of Drover’s Run after Jodi’s (fake) death, which is what brought the pair to the farm.

As a campdrafting champion Grace’s aesthetic was deeply influenced by western style horse riding culture, and she basically lived in a cowboy hat, bootcut jeans and western button downs.

However, Abi herself is less of a country girl, preferring acting, music and theatre, and her unique sense of style, hair and makeup are all reflective of that.

Zoe Naylor (Regan)

Regan McLeod was a little bit shady in the sense that she wanted to mine Drover’s Run for gold after she inherited part of the farm from Jodi. She changed her tune after Tess saved her from the mines, where she was bitten by a snake, and dedicated herself to keeping the farm running, while her sister Grace acted as a silent partner.

Zoe Naylor joined the cast of McLeod’s Daughters when the show was in it’s fifth season, and she remained until it’s end in 2009, after eight seasons on the air. Regan was never without Y2K low rise jeans and her California style cowboy hat back then. But these days Zoe’s exchanged permanent hat hair with helmet hair — she and her partner McLeod’s Daughters co-star, Aaron Jeffery, are motorbike enthusiasts.

Simmone Mackinnon (Stevie)

An old friend of Claire McLeod’s, Stevie arrived at Drover’s run to work as a ranch hand. Fearless, free-spirited, and hard-working, she was a nomadic country girl that eventually settled down after finding her chosen family at the farm.

We were perpetually jealous of her auburn curls back then, but these days actress Simmone Mackinnon’s hair is ever-changing in colour and styles.

Michala Banas (Kate)

Kate Manfredi arrived to Drover’s Run in season four as a farm hand to help her former boarding school classmate Jodi, and Tess McLeod, following the death of their sister Claire.

As the daughter of a second generation Italian farming family and an agricultural studies graduate, she came with a wealth of expertise and experience. However, she had a habit of being a perfectionist and a bit naive at times.

While Kate was buttoned up and never seemed to have a hair out of place, Michala Banas — the actress who played her — seems a lot more free-spirited and embraces her natural wild curls in real life.

Aaron Jeffery (Alex)

Aaron Jeffrey appeared as Alex Ryan in 193 episodes, making him the longest running member of the McLeod’s Daughters cast.

Alex grew up on Killarney, a cattle ranch that neighboured Drover’s Run, and he was known as the resident larrikin and bad boy. He even found himself in a love triangle with Claire and Tess McLeod at one point, but eventually he ended up falling for ranch hand Stevie, before meeting his end at the hands of a falling tree branch.

Honestly, Aaron Jeffrey hasn’t changed much since his days on McLeod’s Daughters, which anyone who’s seen him as Jimmy Fowler in recent episodes of Home And Away can attest.

Myles Pollard (Nick)

Alex Ryan’s brother, Nick, was constantly in competition with his sibling. The pair both had eyes for Tess McLeod when she first arrived to Drover’s Run, but ultimately it was Nick and his good intentions that won her over.

Admittedly, like many of the characters on the show, his arc ended somewhat strangely. After running a farm in Argentina together, Tess came home to the family farm, and Nick was meant to follow her. However, his plane crashed and he was presumed dead — that is until the audience discovered that he was actually mugged prior to boarding and had been in a coma for several months in an Argentinian hospital.

Crazy right? Almost as crazy as the fact that all the men on McLeod’s Daughters look exactly the same 24 years later, including Myles Pollard.

Sonia Todd (Meg)

Meg Fountain’s personal lore was deeply entrenched with the McLeod family. After assuming the role of Drover’s Run housekeeper and nanny to Claire, following the death of Claire’s mother, Meg separated from her then husband Kevin and entered into a brief affair with Claire’s father, Jack McLeod.

The unholy union resulted in the birth of her daughter Jodi, who wouldn’t find out about her father’s true identity until after he died and left her a portion of Drover’s Run. You’d think given the pair’s history that Meg would have left after her affair with Jack ended, but she decided to stay and work at Drover’s Run even after he got married and had another daughter, Tess.

Ironically, just like Meg’s unwavering commitment to the family farm, Sonia Todd has retained the practical blowout synonymous with her on-screen character.

Brett Tucker (Dave)

Dave Brewer was a love struck vet with two marriages under his belt, and a crush on Tess McLeod. His first marriage was a young, six-month-long mistake, while the second ended with the death of his wife, which was ultimately what ended up coming between him and Tess.

After the break down of Tess and Dave’s engagement, he left Drover’s Run, only to return a year later in the hopes of rekindling things, however, he discovered that Tess had moved on with Nick Ryan. Heartbroken, Dave went back to work as a local vet, and became friends with Kate Manfredi, which eventually turned into a romance.

But if you thought it was all sunshine and roses for this McLeod’s Daughters character, then you were clearly watching a different show, because after the lovebirds went on a trip to Africa, Kate was the only one who returned to Drover’s Run. Dun, dun, dun…

Doris Younane (Moira)

Moira Doyle was the resident mystic, fortune teller and mechanic at Drover’s Run through seasons two to eight.

She came to the farm after needing a place to stay following the breakdown of her marriage (read: he was cheater), and discovering that fortune telling alone wasn’t enough to pay the bills. Thankfully for Moira, everyone’s welcome at the McLeod family farm, especially when you’re not shy about getting under the hood of a ute or two.

Actress Doris Younane lent her enviable head of curls to the cast, although in the later seasons she would dye her naturally dark brunette strands bronde for the role.

Jessica Napier (Becky)

Watching Becky Howard’s character arc in McLeod’s Daughters is like stepping into a time machine. The poor girl was slut-shamed, assaulted, and treated like a general menace to society simply because she liked to flirt and wear short skirts.

Luckily for her, Drover’s Run welcomed everyone (even sexually-progressive women), and through life and experience on the farm she became an award-winning bull-wrangler, ultimately leaving in season three to pursue an agricultural scholarship.

It’s hard to tell the difference between Jessica Napier then and Jessica Napier now, because the actress looks exactly the same. Fun fact: Jessica’s late father Marshall Napier was also a regular on the show, he played Drover’s Run neighbour and Killarney cattle ranch owner Harry Ryan.

Luke Jacobz (Patrick)

Patrick Brewer was Dave’s younger brother and a farm hand at Killarney Cattle Ranch. He spent most of his life travelling abroad before arriving at Drover’s Run in a parachute (of course) looking for his brother.

Sadly, Patrick experienced many manic episodes throughout the course of show, eventually revealing he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This was a major parallel plot line with Patrick and Dave’s father who had also dealt with mental health issues and ended his own life. Dave saw what happened, but Patrick only heard the fatal gunshot, which he had grown up believing was an accidental misfire.

What can we tell you? This show was never short on plot lines, even for the supporting cast members like Luke Jacobz, who 24 years later, still hasn’t hung up his cowboy hat.

Main image via ‘McLeod’s Daughters’/ Nine Network

Who was your favourite McLeod’s Daughters character?