This is a list of characters from the Australian drama series McLeod's Daughters.
Claire is the oldest child of John 'Jack' McLeod. She was born on Drover's Run, in 1973, to Jack and his first wife, Prudence 'Prue' McLeod. 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 dropped out of 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, 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, 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 hit a pothole and Claire loses control of the vehicle, and coming to a stop with its front wheels dangling off 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 a canyon, killing Claire.
Tess is the third child and second-oldest 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 and help run the farm.
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. After that she becomes involved with 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 last wife.
After Claire dies, Tess becomes the sole owner of Drover's Run; she hires Stevie Hall 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 often.