Lately, I've been having a "McLeod's Daughters" retro session.

This Australian TV show is one of the most successful Australian shows of all time. And for once, it's a show that doesn't revolve around cafés, fashion and star gossip. It's about sisters who have to run their cattle station Drovers Run in rural Australia and have to face the problems of farm and country life.

Half-sisters Claire and Tess McLeod inherit Drovers Run from their dad. Claire had been working on the farm all her life, but Tess had grown up with her mother in the city. They have to prove that they can muster, ride, shear and work on the farm as well as any man could. Later, more and more girls help out on Drovers. There's Becky, who was a troubled teenager and becomes lead station hand, Meg Fountain who used to be Claire's nanny and is now the housekeeper, Meg's daughter Jodi who first hated the country life and then came to love it, there's Kate Manfredi - Jodi's best friend and young farmer, Stevie Hall - Claire's best friend who becomes lead station hand after Claire's death and Becky's departure and later runs Drovers. So many girls help, come and go, I lost track (it also helps that I couldn't follow at least 3 seasons, so I don't know the current cast too well). Then there's the local boys, Alex and Nick Ryan, who are more than neighbours to the McLeod girls. Alex wanted to mary Claire but she had a fatal accident and Nick married Tess. There's Dave, Pat, Rob (Matt), Riley, Terry, Harry, Alberto, Craig, Jake and all the others, who help the girls but can also make their lives hell.





I used to love the show when I was still at school. After graduating, I could only watch it on rare occassions. Now I got the first 4 seasons out of 8 on DVD. The best thing about it: It's got the English audio track on it, as well as the German! Maybe it's got to do with me having had my first major experience with the English language when I lived in New Zealand but I just love the Down Under accent! And some of the main actors are Kiwis, too! But I can watch it in either of the two languages I like!


Then there's that whole Jackaroo/Jillaroo thing. The actors actually work with the animals, on the farm. They muster on horseback, they shear the sheep etc. I have worked as a cowgirl (Jillaroo) in Australia myself, and I loved it! But I can also appreciate, how hard the work is that they have to do while acting! Holding sheep down while shearing them is not as easy as it sounds! It's a completely different concept for a show, it's all filmed on location and the work is actually carried out by the actors, which is why I like the show. That, and a really good script!

Some may say, I'm girly admitting I watch the show, but then again: I AM a girl. If you don't like it, don't watch it! Simple, really!