Sydney: Internationally acclaimed Australian author, Colleen McCullough, whose novel "The Thorn Birds" sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, died today aged 77.

The best-selling writer passed away in hospital on Norfolk Island, which lies in the remote waters off Australia's eastern coast, her publisher said in a statement. HarperCollins Australia publishing director Shona Martyn said McCullough had overcome a string of health and eyesight problems to continue writing through dictation.