With the 2026 season of Home and Away now well underway, we take a look at what’s in store in the months ahead, with some new arrivals, and a couple of potential goodbyes!

Home and Away returned to Australian screens on Monday 19th January, and we’ve already said goodbye to two characters, with Eddie Shepherd (Stephen Madsen) and Kerrie Matheson (Sara Wiseman)

Hacking departed after short stints in Summer Bay. 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.

In return, we got four new full-time characters as the Langham/Miller family – consisting of Lacey (Sophea Pennington), Jo (Maddison Brown) and dad David (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) – all arrived, as well as Remi’s (Adam Rowland) old mate Sonny (Ryan Bown).

Now, we’re set for some new faces in town, as rumours build that we’ll be saying goodbye to at least one Summer Bay resident in the months ahead.

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.

While nothing is confirmed at this stage, the rumour mill claims that the new character is possibly a doctor, making her a new colleague for Levi (Tristan Grey) and Dana (Ally Harris).

Plus, with Nicole da Silva filming closely with Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, could the new character be a potential love interest for Sergeant David? Only time will tell.

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 new police officer for Summer Bay

Another new face arriving in the coming months is police officer Richie, played by Rocco Forrester-Sach.

In late November, footage appeared on the Home and Away Spoilers & Info Facebook group of a new character in a police uniform, filming alongside Nicholas Cartwright (Cash) and Hailey Pinto (Abigail).

The character’s name was recently confirmed by CelebTime, who spotted Rocco once again filming alongside Hailey Pinto in early January, suggesting that he may be sticking around in the bay.

Harper gets a new man

Rumour has it that Harper (Jessica Redmayne) will 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.

Harper’s relationship to Tane (Ethan Browne) broke down last year, with the pair calling off their engagement on the day of their wedding. While Harper had a brief foray into the world of dating apps, she soon found herself with more pressing matters to deal with as she made the decision to reconnect with estranged mum Kerrie.

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?

In early February, travel YouTubers R&F Adventures 2.0 headed to Palm Beach and were lucky enough to see the cast filming a number of scenes.

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.

The pair were seen having an animated conversation together, before Beau touched Harper’s arm and walked off.

A later scene saw Beau and Harper hanging out with baby Archie, suggesting that the newcomer is perfectly happy with the fact that Harper has a child.

However, the pair becoming Summer Bay’s next big couple looks increasingly unlikely, with rumours that Harper will be leaving town later this year.

More on that later on…

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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.

The scene sees Eden cleaning tables whilst talking to Abigail, before Cash comes out to talk to his wife.

The YouTubers witnessed one scene being rehearsed multiple times before the actual take, and while the windy conditions made the audio difficult to make out, it’s possible to hear Cash asking Eden: “How do you feel about fostering?”

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.

Roo (Georgie Parker) began a fostering journey of her own in 2024, having grown attached to baby Poppy, who Tane (Ethan Browne) found abandoned at the beach.

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.

As Roo continued her fostering journey into 2025, her first foster child, Eliza (Martha Kate Morgan) nearly put her off fostering altogether when Eliza’s morbid fascination death saw her fail to get help for Harper when she went into labour, and fail to raise the alarm when Alf (Ray Meagher) experienced heart problems.

It was also revealed that Eliza had burnt down her previous foster home, and she continued to have a fascination with fire.

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.

Both Roo and Alf (Ray Meagher) ended up forming a close bond with Cohen, but he eventually left Summer Bay with biological dad Adrian (Tom Matthews) after David was able to track him down.

With Roo currently away, and Georgie Parker potentially set to take another extended break from Home and Away later this year, are Cash and Eden about to become the bay’s next set of foster parents?

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.

Roo has been off screen since September, when she left the bay to visit Cohen and Adrian before heading to visit mum Martha in Merimbula. That break allowed Georgie to star in theatre show How to Plot a Hit in Two Days, which debuted in late August in Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre and ran until mid-October.

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.

He’s current in a rehab facility and is struggling to come to terms with his lack of mobility, but last week’s Aussie episodes saw him take a break from rehab to spend the day at Cash and Eden’s place on Saxon Avenue, where he finally learnt of Remi’s recent diagnosis.

Ryan Bown has also been spotted filming in his wheelchair at the Surf Club, meaning it won’t be long until he’s getting used to life back in Summer Bay.

Previous filming from late November has already confirmed that he will gradually recover, with Ryan Bown spotted filming on crutches in photos posted on the Home and Away Spoilers & Info Facebook page.

Now, footage from this month shows that Sonny is set to make a full recovery and will be back on his feet in the months ahead.

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.

Is Harper leaving?

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.

Jessica isn’t the only Home and Away actor to star in the new production, as she’ll be acting alongside former cast members Debra Lawrance (Pippa Ross) and Belinda Giblin (Martha Stewart), who are set to play Claire and Ouiser.

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.

Both Jessica Redmayne and Ally Harris are currently still filming, having been spotted at Palm Beach in recent weeks.

But could one or both of them be filming their final scenes in the near future?