Piper Laurie, who played Meggie's friend Anne Mueller, starred as Mary Horton in the 1979 film adaptation of Colleen McCullough's first novel, TIM. In the movie, Piper's character was reading The Thorn Birds.
Bryan Brown, who played Luke O' Neil, the drifter Meggie (Rachel Ward) married is Rachel Ward's real-life husband. They were introduced on set and got married a few months after filming ended.