Last year saw a number of full-time characters bid farewell, as Irene (Lynne McGranger), Bree (Juliet Godwin), Kirby (Angelina Thomson) and Rose (Kirsty Marillier) all left the bay for pastures new, while Theo’s (Matt Evans) life came to an untimely end.
Plus, of course, we’ve got the highly-anticipated return of Brax (Stephen Peacocke) and Ricky (Bonnie Sveen), which is now just weeks away!
Read on to find out exactly what’s in store in Home and Away in the first half of this year.A new doctor arrives
Nicole da Silva, who previously played Franky Doyle in Wentworth and Stella Dagostino in Melbourne police drama Rush, has been spotted on the set of Home and Away.
On 21st January, tour company CelebTime captured Nicole filming alongside Jeremy Lindsay Taylor (David) and Ada Nicodemou (Leah) at the Coffee Cart.
Nicole previously starred on Home and Away back in 2006, playing guest character Jane Sims, a student who interrupted Robbie and Kim’s boys-only camping trip and went on to kiss Robbie.
A post on Home and Away‘s Instagram account reads: “Help is on the way for the Northern Districts Hospital! Amelia, played by the talented Nicole da Silva, will be arriving in the coming months on Home and Away 💙”
“My first scene was at Palm Beach with Ray [Meagher], who plays Alf, obviously,” Nicole told the Daily Telegraph’s Stellar magazine, which confirmed her character’s full name as Dr Amelia Carlisle.
“That was a real pinch-me moment. I was like, ‘Oh, wow. I’m definitely in the Bay now. I’ve arrived.'”
Speaking further of her casting, Nicole told the magazine that she is honoured to be joining the series.
“There aren’t many productions shooting in Sydney, and as a single parent, to be able to keep myself and my daughter close to our community, our family, our friends – it just made a lot of sense.”
Nicole previously starred in All Saints as semi-regular paramedic Sasha Fernande. She went on the play various roles in Dangerous, East West 101 and Carla Cametti P.D. before landing the lead role of Stella Dagostino in the Southern Star series Rush, which she played for the series’ entire 70 episode run.
A new police officer for Summer Bay
Another new face arriving in the coming months is police officer Richie Brezniak, played by Rocco Forrester-Sach.
Harper (Jessica Redmayne) will also be getting a new boyfriend in the months ahead, with another new character set to arrive, who Back to the Bay has identifying as being played by actor Blake Richardson.
Footage from CelebTime in late January saw Harper spending time at Salt with a mystery newcomer – could she finally be ready to move on from Tane?
The YouTubers caught sight of Jessica and Blake filming together, this time on the parkland by the beach, with the video’s narrator Rhino Padroth claiming that the new character is named Beau and is Harper’s new boyfriend.
More on that later on…
Are Cash and Eden about to become foster parents?
YouTubers R&F Adventures 2.0 also witnessed Nicholas Cartwright (Cash) and Stephanie Panozzo (Eden) filming a scene on the balcony of North Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club, which doubles up as the balcony for Salt.
In one of the takes, Cash continues by adding: “We don’t have to have children of own…”
Are the pair, who finally married last year after spending years in an on-again-off-again relationship, about to think about having children together?
And, if Eden isn’t looking (or able) to have a child of her own, can Cash convince her to explore fostering?
Cash and sister Felicity (Jacqui Purvis) were both fostered by Gary (Peter Phelps) and Katherine Morrow after the death of their parents, and it looks like Cash is keen to foster the next generation.
Tane pushed Roo to become an emergency foster carer after realising that his lack of Australian citizenship would mean it would be a lengthy process for him to do so, but Poppy’s mother Sonia Rickard (Olivia Beardsley) arrived in the bay before that was necessary.
In the end, Roo made the difficult decision to seek help for Eliza, and she was taken away by Harper, who explained that she would be given professional care.
Her second foster child, Cohen (Nathan Murray), was thrust upon her when David found Cohen and mum Samantha (Heidi May) living on the streets.
David was forced to arrest Samantha after finding her in possession of a number of stolen phones, so called upon Roo to help look after Cohen.
Roo returns – but not for long!
Roo Stewart has been a rare sight in Summer Bay in recent times, with actress Georgie Parker having taken a number of filming breaks to appear in other productions.
She since returned to set and should reappear on screens fairly soon. However, it’s believed that there’s be another break on the way for Roo later in the year, as Georgie hasn’t been seen filming at Palm Beach since December.
Georgie was recently spotted by the Daily Mail filming a new mini-series named Dalliance in Clovelly in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.
She also recently confirmed that she’ll be starring in a production of 84 Charring Cross Road at Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre. The production is taking place between Friday 1st May and Saturday 13th June.
Georgie will be starring alongside Brian Meegan, who previously played Remi’s (Adam Rowland) dad Graham Carter, as well as Packed to the Rafters star Erik Thomson.
Sonny is back on his feet and back with Dana
In the latest Australian episodes, Sonny is coming to terms with being in a wheelchair, having suffered a spinal injury in the derailment which brought the 2025 season of the show to a close.
UK viewers have just witnessed the dramatic crash, which lands Sonny in hospital and unable to feel his legs.
Tests revealed that he has an incomplete spinal cord injury, and while he may regain movement in his lower body, doctors were unable to confirm for certain.
YouTubers R&F Adventures 2.0 spotted Ryan Bown (Sonny) and Ally Harris (Dana) filming together on Station Beach – the beach on the west side of Palm Beach, known in the show as Flat Beach – in early February.
In the scenes, the pair walk along the beach together, with Sonny now walking without issue.
They also look like they’re back together, after recent weeks saw Sonny abruptly end his relationship to Dana, stressing to her that she didn’t sign up to take care of him.
Earlier in February, it was announced that actress Jessica Redmayne had landed the role of Shelby in a theatre production of Steel Magnolias, which will tour Australia between April to August this year.
Harper and her sister Dana both arrived in Summer Bay in August 2023, meaning the pair are coming up on three years on the show – a point when many cast members decide to move on to other things.
But could one or both of them be filming their final scenes in the near future?
Will Holden die?
Holden (Lach Millar) made his first appearance in November’s season finale as one of the passengers on the train to the Off the Rails music festival in Broken Hill.
He’s spent the last few weeks developing an unhealthy obsession with Lacey, culminating in her taking out an AVO against him.
Nate (Kyle Pryor) then invited Brax back to the bay, realising that the River Boy leader was Ricky’s one true love, and the pair soon departed for a fresh start with newborn son Casey.
Ricky gave birth to baby Casey back in May 2015, meaning their son will be just a month or two from celebrating his 11th birthday when they return.
It seems that Tane will make an abrupt departure from the bay, leaving the future of his business uncertain, and breaking Jo’s (Maddison Brown) heart as he abandons her just months after their fledgling relationship finally got off the ground.
Footage taken by fan Ashton Richardson last year showed an advertising board for the gym with the words ‘SUMMER BAY FIT CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.’
Ethan Browne has been seen less at Palm Beach in recent months, but he was spotted filming in the past few days, suggesting that Tane won’t be facing jail and will eventually return home to be reunited with son Archie.
Where his disappearing act leaves his relationship with Jo, and ex-fiancée and mother of his child Harper, remains to be seen.
Is Cash off to Western Australia too?
While it has now been confirmed that Tane will be visiting Brax, Ricky and Casey in Western Australia, it’s rumoured that Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) will also be heading west as part of the new storyline.
Then, on 12th August, fan Jo Tylor posted on the Coral Bay (Western Australia) Community Noticeboard Facebook page – “What a cracker of a day in the bay after seeing some of the cast out of home and away” – with the author later claiming to have seen “Cash and Tane.”
With Tane set to escape Summer Bay to ask Brax and his River Boy contacts for help, will Cash go in search of his friend to convince him to return to New South Wales before his situation spirals out of control?
It won’t be long until we find out, with Brax and Ricky’s return now expected to air the week commencing Monday 9th March.
Brax and Ricky are back in the bay!
After our stint visiting them in Western Australia, we’re also set to see Brax and Ricky back in the bay.
In mid-November last year, the actors were spotted filming at Palm Beach, the real-life beach in Sydney’s north where the external Summer Bay scenes are sho
