It’s been over two decades since the iconic Aussie TV show McLeod’s Daughters came into our lives and made us want to ride horses.
AND RUINED US FOREVER. Sorry, the pain from the season three finale is still raw. More on that another time.
Over eight seasons from 2001 to 2009, McLeod’s Daughters featured so many characters and Aussie actors. But in my opinion, the earlier cast was the best.
MY HEART. Image: Nine.
In 2018, rumours of a McLeod's Daughters revival got us irrationally excited, only to fall through because the creators didn't to compromise the sanctity of our McLeod's Daughters memories.
Then in 2020, the show's creator Posie Graeme-Evans that announced a McLeod's Daughters spin-off film was officially in the works. Graeme-Evans confirmed the news in a post on Instagram, after receiving $20,000 as part of an arts stimulus package to develop a movie, according to The Mercury.
"THE STORY CONTINUES. Yes — it really does. And I’m letting you know first," she wrote on Instagram.
But sadly, like the 2018 revival rumours, the spin-off film also failed to materialise.
Despite the repeated disappointments and false starts, that doesn't mean we should completely give up hope on a McLeod's Daughters comeback. One of the show's stars Simmone Jade Mackinnon — who played Stevie Hall — certainly hasn't.
"I think it would be amazing to do a reboot, and I've been gunning for it for years," she told Nine.
"In 2017, there was a big push back then. But unfortunately, that one fell through. There was another sort of decent-sized push around 2020. But again, it's like it's right there, but then it's just out of our reach."
While we impatiently wait for another potential reboot announcement, and in honour of the TV show that so many of us spent our mid-week evenings watching, here's where the original cast of McLeod's Daughters are now.
Bridie Carter is now 54, and still acting on our screens.
After leaving the show, she worked on and appeared on several television shows, including Rescue: Special Ops, Wild Boys and more recently, Channel 7's 800 Words.
In early May 2004, she married clothing designer Michael Wilson and they now have two children together.
The actress also spoke about her alcoholism and sobriety of over 20 years in August 2018, on an episode of WHO’s podcast Who Are You.
Carter has seemingly also maintained a close relationship with her McLeod's Daughters co-stars, in particular, Simmone Jade Mackinnon. In 2021, she shared a selfie on Instagram supporting Mackinnon's clothing range.
"Recognise this snuggly hoodie?" she wrote in the caption. "Yes, designed and created by none other than the amazing, inspiring, precious and special friend of mine #simmonejademackinnon AKA @wanderingozzie_."
OH GOD. Sorry, but thinking about Claire McLeod will never not hurt.
Back to Lisa Chappell, the 56-year-old actress pursued music and theatre, and scored guest roles in Rescue: Special Ops, The Cult and Agent Anna.
Chappell married Chris Taylor in 2001 after they met at her co-star Rachael Carpani's 21st birthday party. They later divorced in 2005.
More recently, Chappell made her return to New Zealand television in 2020, reprising her role on the long-running soap opera Shortland Street as Michelle Beaufort.
The actress has also ventured into international projects, appearing in a supporting role in the Disney+ television film Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires in 2025.
Since playing the loveable Alex Ryan, Aaron Jeffery has continued to act, most recently in Neighbours, Wentworth and Underbelly Files: Chopper.
The 49-year-old began dating fellow McLeod's Daughters cast member Zoe Naylor, who played Regan McLeod on the series, in 2010. The couple have two children together.
In 2018, Jeffery shared that he is a survivor of child sexual abuse, telling Who magazine he was taken advantage of by a paedophile ring "for a couple of years" while he was growing up in Auckland.
The actor got out and moved to Australia when he was 17 to study acting at NIDA.
Jeffery has continued to build his acting career with notable roles in recent years. In 2021, he landed a part in the Netflix thriller series Pieces of Her, based on Karin Slaughter's bestselling novel.
More recently, he joined the cast of Home and Away in 2024, in the recurring role of James "Jimmy" Fowler.
Ah. Nick Ryan. The name is enough to evoke instant nostalgia in any McLeod's Daughters fan.
After the show, 52-year-old Myles Pollard went on to appear in TV shows like Home and Away, Double Trouble, Underbelly, Rescue: Special Ops and Sea Patrol. He also made appearances in a few films, landing roles in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Drift and Jasper Jones.
Most recently, Pollard has been working as an acting teacher. Pollard married TV presenter Brigitta Wuthe in 2006 and shares a son, Ronin, with her.
44-year-old Rachael Carpani played Jodi Fountain in the long-running series. She has since appeared in Hating Alison Ashley, Cane, Scorched, All Saints, NCIS: Los Angeles, 800 Words and Against the Wall.
Until 2011, the actress dated co-star Matt Passmore, who played the role of Marcus, Alex's half-brother, on McLeod's Daughters. She currently lives and works in LA.
In August 2024, Carpani joined the cast of Home and Away as Claudia Salini.
Carpani is one of the most active social media users of her former cast members, and you can find her Instagram here.
46-year-old Jessica Napier spent years acting as a child before appearing on McLeod's Daughters — her father, Marshall Napier, even played Harry Ryan on the same series.
The actress had roles in Sea Patrol and Rescue: Special Ops, the film Savages Crossing, and Underbelly Files.
In 2009, Napier married David Adler, who she has one daughter with.
In 2021, Napier appeared in the AACTA-nominated feature film Moon Rock For Monday, taking on a small role in Kurt Martin's directorial project.
Sonia Todd with her on-screen partner John Jarratt. Image: Getty.
Meg was the caring yet surprisingly un-feminist mother figure at Drover's.
After McLeod's Daughters, actress Sonia Todd spent four years as Gina Austin in Home and Away before leaving to pursue other roles.
Since then, the 66-year-old has starred in several projects, including Janet King, The Secrets She Keeps and After the Verdict.
Todd is married to actor Rhett Walton and has two sons.
John Jarratt in Wold Creek. Image: FFCA.
Arguably the most successful of the McLeod's Daughters cast members, John Jarratt is best known for his role as Mick Taylor in the 2005 horror film Wolf Creek. The franchise, which began in 2005, became a cult classic and cemented Jarratt's place in Australian horror.
Beyond Wolf Creek, Jarratt has remained active across both film and television, taking on diverse roles in projects like Faraway Downs, Django Unchained, 100 Bloody Acres and Boar.
In 2017, Jarratt was accused of raping a woman he once lived with in 1976. In 2019, he was found not guilty.
From 2022 until now, Jarratt has been starring as Detective Senior Sergeant Bill Carlton on Darby and Joan.
Jarratt has been married four times: to Rosa Miano, to actress Noni Hazlehurst, to Cody Jarratt, and then to Rosa Miano again.
Image: Instagram/wanderingozzie_
Simmone Jade Mackinnon, 52, went on to appear on shows including The Cut, Rescue: Special Ops, Cops L.A.C and City Homicide. In 2012, she accepted a role as Zoe Alexander in Neighbours.
The actress was also once engaged to none other than Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa, who she met while working on Baywatch. Their engagement was called off when Momoa met his wife, Lisa Bonet. (Momoa and Bonet split in 2024).
Mackinnon gave birth to her first child, Madigan, in 2010, and started a blog called the Wandering Ozzie.
After a 12-year absence from our screens, Mackinnon made her return to television in 2024 by joining the reality competition series The Summit on Nine. The show marked a significant comeback for the actress, who successfully completed the gruelling challenge alongside two other contestants. Her perseverance paid off handsomely, with Mackinnon walking away with a $100,000 prize when the season wrapped up.
46-year-old Michala Banas finished the show and went on to appear on many shows on Aussie TV screens.
She filled in for Kym Valentine in Neighbours, played Tiffany Turner on Winners & Losers, and had a supporting role on teen drama Nowhere Boys. In 2013, Banas starred in the ABC comedy series Upper Middle Bogan as Amber Wheeler.
In September 2024, Banas ventured into radio, joining Jo Stanley as co-host on the women-focused station Broad Radio.
Banas married Kade Greenland in 2014. They announced their split 11 months later. She went on to marry actor Toby Truslove in 2019.
Brett Tucker in 2017. Image: Getty.
After playing the loveable local vet on McLeod's Daughters, Brett Tucker had a long-running stint on Neighbours.
The 53-year-old then moved to America and appeared in a range of notable American productions across various genres.
He's had roles in major network shows, including Grey's Anatomy, Station 19, This Is Us, and The Americans. He also made appearances on crime procedurals like NCIS and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, as well as fantasy series like Legend of the Seeker.
More recently, he's ventured into animated projects, lending his voice to the critically acclaimed Netflix series Arcane.
He's not on Instagram, which makes it hard to track down what he's doing as of right now. He did, however, leave a party in 2011 carrying Lindsay Lohan. Ah, memories.
This article was originally published on October 14, 2019, and been updated since.
Feature Image: Getty.
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