Claire is the oldest child of John. M. McLeod (Anthony Hayes; Troy Gray). She was born on Drover's Run, in 1985, to Jack and his first wife, Prudence 'Prue' McLeod (Sarah Enright). Prue died while giving birth to a stillborn son, Adam John McLeod, in 1975. Jack would later marry Ruth Silverman, who gave birth to Tess Silverman McLeod. When their marriage ended, Ruth took Tess to live in Melbourne, leaving Jack to raise Claire alone. Claire and Tess would not see each other again until after their father died, almost twenty years later.

Claire spent her whole life on Drover's Run; she left school at age 15 to help her dad run the farm.

She attempts to start a horse breeding program on Drover's with Peter Johnson (Rodger Corser), the local representative of Australian Bloodlines. They begin a romantic relationship while working together, which ends when Claire finds out that Peter is married and has a family in Queensland. They reunite briefly, which results in Claire getting pregnant. She gives birth to a daughter, Charlotte Prudence McLeod (Sarah and Alisha Hart; Brooke, Kaitlyn and Thalia Stacy-Clark; Dana Miltins), in a shed on Drover's Run. Before Claire decides on a name, the baby is affectionately called 'BOM', for Baby of McLeod.

Not long after the baby was born, Claire and Alex Ryan begin a relationship, with Alex planning to propose to her during a party. Claire, Tess, and baby Charlotte are returning from town with party supplies when their ute hits a pothole and Claire loses control of the vehicle, and coming to a stop with its front wheels dangling over the edge of a cliff. Tess is able to get out and get Charlotte to safety, but cannot get Claire's door open before the ute starts to slide. It goes over the cliff and into the canyon, killing Claire.

Tess is the third child and second daughter of Jack McLeod. She was born on Drover's Run in 1976 to Jack and his second wife, Ruth Silverman. Tess left Drover's for Melbourne with her mother when she was five years old, after her parents' marriage ended.

Tess never saw her father again, and only returns to Drover's after his death nearly twenty years later. Tess and Claire initially clash over the future of Drover's Run. Tess considers selling her share and remaining in the city, but later decides to stay on to help run the farm. She has not had a true home since her mother died from cancer, and she wants to stay and rekindle her relationship with her sister.

In season one, Tess has a brief romantic relationship with Alex Ryan, which ends amicably. She later discovers she has feelings for Alex's younger brother, Nick, though their initial attempts at a relationship fail due to Tess's fear of commitment combined with Nick's haste to commit as soon as possible. After that she becomes involved with the new local veterinarian Dave Brewer, leading to an engagement. They call off the engagement when Dave realizes he has not fully mourned the loss of his late wife Leanne, when he is obviously not capable of dealing with the potential cancer scare Tess is having, making this experience even harder for Tess than it already is.

After Claire dies in a car accident returning home from buying party supplies with Tess and Charlotte, Tess becomes the sole owner of Drover's Run. She hires Stevie Hall, an old rodeo friend of Claire and Alex, as overseer to help her manage the property. When Peter Johnson files for custody of Charlotte, his daughter with Claire, Tess initially fights it but ultimately relents and lets Peter and his wife have full custody. Peter allows Charlotte to visit her aunt at Drover's, including her godfather Alex at Killarney, often.

Tess and Nick eventually rekindle their relationship and get married. Their marital bliss ends abruptly when they have to deal with a heavily pregnant Sally Clements (Kathryn Hartman), Nick's former girlfriend en physical therapist. They go through quite some ups and downs with the birth of Nick's first born son out of wedlock, however ultimately they make it. Not long after, Nick takes a job running a breeding program on a large ranch in Argentina, and they leave Drover's. Tess returns after a year, announcing that she's pregnant. While expecting Nick to follow her home shortly, Tess learns that his plane has gone missing and he is assumed dead. Tess begins to mourn him, but Nick is eventually found alive and returns to Drover's Run. They decide to return to Argentina for another three years, and Tess is not seen on the show again, though she and Nick are referenced by other characters periodically. Tess gives birth to a daughter named Claire.

Jodi is the youngest child of Jack McLeod. She was born on Drover's Run in 1982 to Jack and Meg Fountain. Jack and Meg had a brief affair and were not married; their relationship and Jodi's paternity were kept secret for many years. It was assumed that Meg's first husband Kevin Fountain (Richard Healy), was Jodi's father. While Meg was married to Kevin, he left and returned several times. Meg became the housekeeper at Drover's Run and Jack paid for Jodi to attend boarding school. After completing her finals, Jodi moves back to Drover's whilst awaiting the results of her exams. After receiving weak test results she begins working alongside the other women on the farm.

Two years after returning to Drover's, Jodi marries Alberto Borelli (Ben Mortley), but decides immediately after the wedding that she is too young for marriage and children. Alberto returns to Italy and Jodi resumes her work on Drover's. When Meg is offered a job in Melbourne, Jodi initially decides to go with her, but changes her mind at the last minute and decides to stay on the farm.

She has a relationship with mechanic Luke Morgan (Dean O'Gorman), which is fun, exciting, and serious, however it abruptly ends when Luke is sent to jail. She later has a relationship with Rob Shelton, the overseer of Killarney. During this time she discovered her true parentage, after receiving a trust fund from Jack McLeod on her birthday, which led to friction with Meg.

When Rob's father died without him knowing, Rob reveals to Jodi that he is in the Witness Protection Program and living under an alias; a hitman soon finds him and he is forced to leave the area, heavily wounded, however alive due to Jodi. He later returns as Matt Bosnich, when it is presumed safe for him, and they rekindle their relationship. Another hitman still finds him, and it appears that Jodi and Matt die in an explosion. Later, mostly due to Kate's interference and tenacity, the Drover's girls and Killarney boys are told that they faked their deaths so that Matt could be free of his pursuers, and after saying goodbye to her friends and family on Drover's, Jodi leaves with him. Jodi is not seen again until the series finale with news that they are married and that she is pregnant. They explain that the criminals who had been after them are in jail, and they can safely return to Drover's to have and raise their baby.

After Claire gives birth to Charlotte, she and Alex develop romantic feelings for each other. Alex plans to propose to Claire, but she dies before he gets the chance.

In season 3, Alex discovers that Harry Ryan is not his biological father. His mother, Liz, had a brief relationship with married Bryce Redstaff (John Stanton) that resulted in pregnancy, but soon she married Harry Ryan and allowed him to believe that the baby was his. Alex's true paternity leads to the breakup of Harry and Liz's marriage, with Liz leaving Killarney.

Alex's bad relationship with his father Harry leads him to leave for the city where he meets Fiona Webb (Michelle Langstone) and they get engaged within days. He marries Fiona, a city girl from a wealthy family. Their marriage soon ends badly, with Fiona believing that Alex is in love with Stevie. Though they don't immediately begin a relationship, Alex and Stevie eventually marry. After the wedding and honeymoon, Alex is only seen by videophone from Argentina until the last episode of season 7, when he returns to Killarney to surprise Stevie and spend Christmas together. Alex dies early in season 8, after being crushed by a large tree branch. Stevie gives birth shortly after, and names the baby Alexander 'Xander' Hall Ryan (Zayne and Eddison How; Ashton and Tate Hutchings; Josh Helman).

He and Tess have an on-off relationship throughout their time on the series, eventually culminating in marriage. Nick's ambitions take Tess and Nick to Argentina, where he is involved in running a massive cattle project. Nick was declared dead after the plane thought to be carrying him back to Australia crashed in South America, but it was later revealed that he had been mugged before boarding the plane, and had spent months unconscious in a hospital. After returning to Drover's, he and Tess decide to return to Argentina, and like Tess, he is not seen on the series again. Nick has a daughter with Tess, named Claire. Earlier he also had a son, Harrison Nicholas Ryan Clements (Alicia and Connor Randall), with Sally Clements, his former girlfriend and physical therapist.

His friendship with Kate ultimately develops into a romance, and the two leave for Africa, where Dave is going to run a veterinarian clinic. Kate later returns to Drover's after Jodi's death, but Dave is not seen in the series again.

Stevie is an old friend of Claire and Alex, and first appears in the series shortly before Claire's death. Though she initially clashes with Tess, they grow close and Tess asks Stevie to stay on Drover's as overseer and eventually as part-owner. She has a daughter, Rose (Basia A'Hern), who lives with Stevie's sister Michelle (Tara Morice) and believes that Stevie is her aunt. Much of Stevie's arc on the show revolves around her decision to tell Rose the truth about her parentage. She eventually does so, leading to a brief falling-out with her daughter. Rose later forgives Stevie and visits her on Drover's several times.

After Tess and Nick leave for Argentina, Stevie becomes the primary person in charge at Drover's until Jodi, and later the McLeod cousins, receive their shares, and run the Drover's property along with her. She goes on to marry Alex Ryan, and discovers, that she is pregnant while Alex is in Argentina working with Nick. Alex returns to Killarney before Stevie is due to give birth, and they spend Christmas together; he dies from being crushed by a heavy tree branch. Stevie has the baby boy very shortly after, and after calling him 'Wombat' for some time, she names him Alexander 'Xander' Hall Ryan. She continues on as part-owner of both Drover's and Killarney, appearing until the series finale.

Kate is a former classmate of Jodi's. She first appears in the series when Jodi decides to go to Melbourne with Meg, leaving a job vacancy. Though Jodi changes her mind at the last minute and stays on the farm, Kate keeps her new position, and soon they are back being best friends like they used to be in school. Kate is organized and goal-oriented, often referring to her "5-year plan". She brings quite the organization and knowledge to Drover's, but occasionally she has the other farmhands rolling their eyes.

Kate has relationships with local boy Craig (Luke Ford), Dave Brewer's younger brother Patrick, and Mitch Wahlberg (Callan Mulvey), an old army friend from Riley, who turns out to have gone AWOL, but she maintains her feelings for Dave until they eventually get together just when Dave leaves for Africa. Kate's ambitions lead her to winning the Young Farmer's Award on the evening Dave tells her about his decision to leave. Kate joins him on his African adventure. She returns when Jodi is thought to be dead. Devastated by Jodi's death her prodding ultimately causes Meg and the police to reveal that Jodi and Matt have joined the witness protection programme and are using the accident as the perfect cover. She decides to stay at Drover's for a while where she feels useful and good at what she does. Her anxiety about being out of place in Africa causes her to put off returning, but she later goes back to Africa and Dave after some sage advice from Moira (Doris Younane).

Kate returns to Drover's for Stevie's wedding, having split from Dave. She is in the beginning stages of a relationship with Riley when he is killed in a car accident at Christmas. Though his body is never found, Riley is presumed dead and Kate leaves to run a farm for at-risk youth.

She appears again in season 6, returning to Drover's looking for Tess, who is in Argentina at the time. She reveals that an accident at a mine she was supervising caused the death of two men. Though not criminally responsible, she feels enormous guilt over the incident. She stays at Drover's for a while and redeems herself with the girls of Drover's when she pitches in with the farm work. Shortly after she inherits a share of Drover's through Jodi's faked death, she helps save Drover's from a toxic waste dump planned for Drover's. During this she temporarily resumes an adulterous relationship with a former colleague who is there on behalf of the government to assess Drover's compatibility for the toxic dump. His lying and a pregnancy scare brings about the quick end of the affair and after saving Drover's from the dump, she moves on.

In the last few episodes she comes back to Drover's to help her sisters and Stevie run the farm, and to stay on.

He later returns as Matt Bosnich, his real name, when it is presumed safe for him, and they rekindle their relationship. Still another hitman finds him, and it appears that Jodi and Matt die in an explosion. Later, mostly due to Kate's interference and tenacity, the Drover's girls and Killarney boys are told that they used the explosion to fake their deaths so that Matt could be free of his pursuers. After saying goodbye to her friends and family on Drover's, Jodi leaves with him. Matt is not seen again in the series, although Jodi comes back in the series finale with news that they are married and she is pregnant with his baby. The criminals who had been after them are in jail, and they can safely return to Drover's to have and raise their baby.

Riley vies for Jodi's affections, and although she becomes interested, also trying to forget Rob, in the end she chooses to be with Matt after he returns. After Jodi and Matt have left, he gradually develops feelings for Kate, and they are in the early stages of a relationship when he is involved in a car accident at Christmas in the season 7 finale. His body is never found, but he is presumed dead and does not appear on the series again.

After Alex dies, Marcus decides to stay on as part-owner of Killarney. He begins a relationship with Ingrid Marr, the new country veterinarian. Their relationship ends when Ingrid's estranged husband shows up and begins to harass and threaten her. She runs away to hide from him, and to protect Marcus. Marcus is not fully aware of Ingrid's motivation, and becomes involved with Grace McLeod. He is however not fully committed to Grace. When Ingrid returns, Grace ends their relationship and urges Ingrid and Marcus to rekindle their romance, since they never stopped loving each other.

Grace arrived in April 2007 at a campdrafting demonstration. Grace's long-time (friendly) rival Stevie Hall was competing. When Stevie introduces Grace to Regan, the tun out to be estranged sisters, which shocked Stevie. Old tensions surface when Grace takes a highly valuable horse for a joy ride, and Regan stops the fun and a story emerges of an incident at school where Grace accuses Regan to have failed to stand up for Grace, and Grace was expelled. Later Regan offers Grace her part share in Drover's Run inherited from Jodi Fountain-McLeod, but Grace turns it down saying: "Dad" said never to go there, because it changes your life, Grace then leaves. Grace decides that she wants to be a silent partner on Drover's Run, and although Regan is a little disappointed, it is a good start to the reconciliation process. Regan hopes they won't leave it too long before catching up again after years apart. Grace hopes for the same ... It may be a whole new beginning for the pair.

After Regan leaves to continue her career in geology, Grace becomes the main full-time co-owner and overseer with Stevie. Grace has to battle obstacles to find her home at Drover's, which includes proving herself to Stevie and Kate.

In the episode "Grace Under Fire", she finds an adversary and love interest in neighbouring farmer Heath Barrett who purchased Kinsella's after Sandra Kinsella-Ryan (Inge Hornstra) left. After thinking she put a curse on Drover's by stopping a sheep sale at the last second, she put them back in the sale. Heath bought the sheep at an obvious markup from the previous sale showing sympathy for Drover's and a possible crush on Grace. Grace called him out on the sympathy and favouritism at the sale. She becomes engaged to Heath, but ends the engagement when she finds out Heath is cheating on her. She eventually becomes briefly involved with Marcus Turner, for whom she has long had unrequited feelings. Their relationship ends in the series finale when Ingrid returns to town, and Grace realizes that Marcus is still in love with her.

In season 8, her other sister Jasmine (Edwina Ritchard) shows up, hoping to renew her relationships with her sisters. Grace however thinks she is hiding something and doesn't believe her. It takes some time before they find their way back to being actual sisters again.

She has a brief flirtation with Alex, who helps her overcome her trauma which lead her to stop her career in show jumping. Jaz as well as Alex thought that she would stay at Drover's, however, her healing process reminds her of all she loved about being a professional show jumper, so she does leave to restart her career as a show jumper, which leaves Alex heart broken. She appears again in the last season (played by Edwina Ritchard) and appears until the series finale. After an awkward start as a farm hand, needing quite some effort to shake off her past career, she comes to love Drover's, and being back together with her sisters. She eventually starts a relationship with Ben Hall, Stevie's cousin at the end of the series.