Most of the mini-series was filmed in South Australia rather than Tasmania due to the infrastructure and know-how surrounding set construction
The ketch "Annie Watt" was positioned on a cliff at Christie's Beach to create the illusion of the vessel "Malabar" sailing at sea
Major sets constructed included two separate penal colonies, one for Sydney and one for Tasmania; an old English mansion and a London pub; the Victorian goldfields; Sydney Harbour docks; a man-powered train and four period sailing ships
The ketch "Annie Watt" played dual roles in the mini-series, one as the ship "Malabar" and one as the vessel "Osprey". The 21 metre 42 tonne ketch "Annie Watt" was rebuilt for the production and was originally built in 1870.
This was the fourth filmed version of this story.