Articles | McLeod's Daughters | Home

Mcleod's Daughters: articles

Gate closes on Drovers Run

McLEODS Daughters is in its final days of production and is fittingly being seen off by the longest heat wave in South Australia's history.

Cast and crew filmed in 43 degree heat at Drovers Run, a farm one hour north of Adelaide.

"This is unbelievable," said former star Aaron Jeffrey who visited the set to say good-bye yesterday.

"I have never seen it so bone-dry before."

The final episode is called "The Long Paddock" and drought has ravaged the farm to the point it could go under and the girls are fighting to save it.

"Talk about method acting," said current star Luke Jacobz.

Gallery: Farewell to McLeod's Daughters.

"It has been furnace-hot for more than two weeks and we're meant to look like we're working hard on the farm and I can tell you we really are.

"The sweat is very real."

The popular show's eighth and final season will air later in the year but filming will wrap on Thursday.

The decision to end the show has traumatised the district and nearby town of Gawler which has benefited from the production for the past eight years.

More than 4,000 people turned up for a farewell last Friday at the Gawler Showground.

"It was very humbling," said star Matt Passmore.

"People lined up for autographs for four or five hours and there were fans from Germany, The Netherlands and Texas who came out especially for this after reading about it on the Internet."

Channel Nine is giving the series a dignified exit after deciding the series had run its natural course.

It will have filmed 224 episodes in its eight years after first debuting as a 1996 telemovie starring Tammy MacIntosh, Kym Wilson and Jack Thompson.

It was devloped into a series in 2000 starring Lisa Chappel (check), Bridie Carter, Sonia Todd, Myles Pollard and Jeffrey.

None of the original cast remain on the show.

It averaged 1.5 million viewers each week at its peak but dropped to one million last year.

It became an international hit and is seen across the US and Europe and is particularly huge in Germany and India.

By Marcus Casey
March 18, 2008
The Daily Telegraph