Australian Home and Away viewers have just seen the final episode of the year tonight, as the 2024 Season Finale aired down under. With the show now off until January, we take a look at what’s in store in Summer Bay in 2025.
Next year, at least one favourite is saying goodbye, the River Boys return, and we head to Queensland for some very special scenes. Plus, find out if Cash takes the blame, and if Harper’s baby survives…
Today’s Home and Away season finale in Australia saw Tim’s (George Pullar) life on the line after he ended up in a vicious fight with Cash – but was Nerida Mullins (Ellie Gall) involved?
Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) and Abigail (Hailey Pinto) had discovered that Nerida was lying about her relationship with Tim – the pair had never dated, and Nerida had developed an unhealthy obsession with her former counsellor.
Cash began to fear for Eden’s (Stephanie Panozzo) safety when Nerida instructed Cash to “tell your ex to watch her back,” warning, “I’d hate for her to get in the way.”
Meanwhile, Remi (Adam Rowland) had organised a getaway for Lyrik and friends to a luxurious remote island retreat where they could rehearse without the noise complaints that had been plaguing them on Saxon Avenue.
The well-intentioned getaway saw Tim and Eden split, when Eden’s refusal to sing the song she wrote about Cash made Tim realise that Eden was still in love with her ex.
Back in Summer Bay, Cash discovered that both Tim’s car and the Lyrik sharehouse had been vandalised.
Cash rushed to Lyrik’s island retreat to protect them, but when he tried explaining his fears about Nerida, Tim refused to listen, fed up of Cash’s interference.
Remi had previously spotted the pair arguing, and in the final scenes of the year, Justin (James Stewart) came around the corner to find Cash standing over Tim’s lifeless body.
What wasn’t clear was whether Cash had taken things too far, or whether Nerida had also made her way to the island and was involved in the attack.
Cash awoke to find his hands covered in blood, with Tim lying unconscious next to him, and it looks like he’s going to have a tough time clearing his name when we return to Summer Bay in 2025.
Meanwhile, Harper (Jessica Redmayne) agreed to a risky operation to remove a cyst on her and Tane’s (Ethan Browne) unborn baby’s lung.
Harper initially decided against the op, telling Tane that “nobody is operating on my baby,” but the finale saw Levi (Tristan Gorey) explain that the cyst was still growing, and she eventually agreed to head into surgery.
However, Levi was hiding his fears about the operation, having never carried it out before – with the fact it was on a friend’s baby adding to his stress levels.
The show now takes a break for the next 6 weeks, and we won’t find out whether Tim, Harper and the unborn baby survive until Home and Away returns to Australian screens in January.
While we wait, here’s all we know about what’s coming up in Summer Bay in 2025:
When is Home and Away back in 2025?
In Australia, Home and Away will return on Monday 13th January 2025.
Home and Away will return to UK screens one week earlier, on Monday 6th January 2025.
Does Cash take the blame?
While it may have looked to Justin that Cash was the cause of Tim’s battering, we already know that Cash continues to live in Summer Bay well into 2025, suggesting that he won’t face the consequences of Tim’s life-threatening injuries.
Fans attending the Home and Away Tour at Sydney’s Palm Beach recently witnessed Nicholas Cartwright filming alongside Lynne McGranger, as Cash chatted to Irene at the Coffee Cart.
The scenes were filmed in early October, and with Home and Away filmed roughly six months before episodes hit our screens, this confirms that Cash will remain in Summer Bay for at least the first few months of next year, if not for a long time to come.
Cash was also spotted filming new scenes with the River Boys, which saw him arresting members of the notorious gang, who are set for a dramatic return.
He also seems to have gained a promotion back to Senior Constable, after taking a demotion back to Constable when he returned to Yabbie Creek Police last month.
More on that later…
Harper and Tane have their baby
While the season finale may have seen Tane and Harper’s baby in danger, fans recently saw filming which appears to confirm that Harper will give birth to her baby boy in the new year.
Summer Bay’s outdoor scenes are filmed at Palm Beach in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, and its publicly accessible location means that fans often get a glimpse of scenes many months before they hit our screens.
Last week, fan Sara Gaze visited Palm Beach as part of the Home and Away Tour, and witnessed the filming of a scene featuring Harper, Tane and their newborn baby.
The pair were spotted chatting at the Coffee Cart with their newborn in tow, and were all smiles as they played with their son, who was in a baby buggy.
The Home and Away Tour runs every Sunday and Tuesday, and is the best
way to visit the real-life home of Summer Bay, and maybe even watch filming or meet an actor. Find out more…
Dean and Ziggy are back
As announced last month, Dean (Patrick O’Connor) and Ziggy (Sophie Dillman) are returning to Home and Away in the new year, as we pay them a visit at their new home in Queensland.
Their scenes were filmed in late October in the Whitsunday Region of tropical north Queensland.
Producers are keeping tight-lipped on what causes us to be reunited with the pair, simply describing it as “a top-secret storyline that will play out at a yet to be announced date, early 2025.”
Sophie Dillman made her debut appearance as Ziggy in June 2017, and played the character until her exit in 2023. On returning to Home and Away, Sophie said: “It feels so good to be home!”
Patrick O’Connor, who arrived on screens in February 2018, less than eight months after Sophie, added: “I can’t wait for the action, and for fans to see this storyline play out.”
The much-loved couple left Summer Bay in March 2023, moving to far north Queensland with their newborn baby Izzy, to be closer to Dean’s son Jai (River Jarvis) and his mum Amber (Maddy Jevic).
Earlier this year, Dean’s sister Mackenzie (Emily Weir) paid the couple an off-screen visit as she revealed to her brother that she had begun dating Levi (Tristan Gorey), who had left his wife Imogen (Georgia Blizzard) to be with her.
Are we set to see Mackenzie pay her brother and sister-in-law another visit, this time on screen, or is there another reason for the pair to return to our screens? We don’t have long to wait until we find out.
A new character played by Craig Hall
Craig Hall has been playing Victor Stone on Neighbours for much of this year, but with his departure from the Melbourne-based soap airing this week, it seems he’s about to head across to Summer Bay for an appearance in Home and Away.
An Instagram video posted by a cast member earlier this year showed Craig on the set of Northern Districts Police Station, standing behind Rose Delaney actress Kirsty Marillier.
He looks to be standing next to Ellie Gall, who plays Nerida, Tim’s vindictive former client whose actions led to the dramatic showdown in the finale.
It’s not yet known what part Craig will be playing, and whether he’s in the police station in a professional capacity. However, if it is Nerida in the video, then it’s possible that he arrives as part of the fallout from Cash and Tim’s ongoing feud.
Born in Auckland, Craig Hall is best known for starring in King Kong, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and as Jack Duncan in A Place to Call Home.
More details on the River Boys’ return
The River Boys made a brief return earlier this year, as Rory (Joshua Orpin) and Dingo (Jk Kazzi) took Summer Bay by storm. Rory wooed Felicity (Jacqui Purvis) and the pair began dating, before Rory realised that Felicity’s brother was a cop.
After being transferred to Mangrove River police station, Cash discovered that his sister’s new boyfriend was likely responsible for the death of his predecessor, Franklin McGrath.
In the end, Rory and Dingo were carted off after Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) made it his mission to bring down the gang.