As Home and Away ends for another year in Australia, we take a look at all the spoilers for 2026 in Summer Bay.

Tonight’s Home and Away ended in dramatic style, as our favourites were left fighting for their lives after the party train heading to Off the Rails festival derailed.

It’s believed that one character won’t make it, after actress Maddison Brown confirmed to TV Week that “we know someone dies, but we don’t know who.”

With another season of the Summer Bay soap nearly over, we take a look at everything we know about the year ahead.

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When does Home and Away return?

Home and Away returns to Seven in Australia on Monday 19th January 2026.

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Who dies when Home and Away returns?

While the accident left plenty of Summer Bay’s residents unconscious, all of the current Home and Away cast are believed to still be filming, meaning we’re not due any major exits in the first few months of 2026, and certainly not in the Season Return.

The final moments of the season saw Mackenzie (Emily Weir), Abigail (Hailey Pinto), Justin (James Stewart) and Remi (Adam Rowland) all left unconscious – but all four are believed to have been filming since the finale episodes were recorded.

We do know that someone doesn’t survive the crash, as Maddison Brown previously revealed in an interview with TV Week that “we know someone dies, but we don’t know who.”

With all of the regular cast known to survive, could the victim be Eddie?

Stephen Madsen, who plays recent arrival Eddie Shepherd, hasn’t been spotted filming at Palm Beach in recent months.

He’s also listed as a guest character in the show’s closing credits, making it unlikely that we’ll see a Jo and Eddie wedding in 2026 after today’s surprise proposal, and suggesting that he could be the character who dies when the show returns.

However, it would certainly be a cruel twist of fate for the Langhams, with the family having already lost matriarch Kristina (Fiona Noonan) some two years ago, before Lacey (Sophea Pennington) lost boyfriend Theo (Matt Evans) at the start of October.

Would producers really be close enough to kill off a third Langham partner so soon?

Or does Eddie survive, and simply leave town after Jo decides she doesn’t want to reconcile their relationship?

It wouldn’t be unexpected for the deceased to end up being the train driver, a random guest on their way to the Off the Rails festival.

Perhaps flirtatious guest character Isaac (Jordan Dulieu) – who featured unusually heavily in the train scenes?

We’ll have to wait until January to find out.

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The rescue operation gets underway

A promo for the 2026 return episode, which aired directly after the dramatic finale, showed David (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) and Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) jump into action to help rescue their friends and loved ones from inside the train.

Back in Summer Bay, the residents are beginning to hear the news, as we see Tane (Ethan Browne) barge past Leah (Ada Nicodemou) before he rushes to the site of the crash.

There, the relatives of those inside are told it’s too dangerous to help out.

Levi (Tristan Gorey) and Tane both insist that they needs to get in and help, but Cash and the rescue team refuse.

Tane appears to disobey the order to remain outside, as we see Levi shouting his name into a megaphone in the direction of the tunnel.

Inside the tunnel, we hear someone shout that the roof is going to collapse, before we see the police rescue team appearing to place a sheet over a body on a stretcher.

Who doesn’t make it?

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Sonny is in a wheelchair

While all of the full time characters are expected to survive tonight’s incident, Sonny looks like he’ll be badly injured, as numerous photos from the last few months have shown Ryan Bown filming in a wheelchair.

Ryan has been seen filming in the wheelchair as recently as early November, suggesting that if his injuries are caused in tonight’s accident – which was filmed in late July – he’ll be in the chair for at least three months.

Filming captured by a fan of the show later revealed that Sonny will initially struggle with his condition and seemingly not accept help, before eventually deciding to attend rehab.

More on that below.

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Remi is diagnosed with a brain tumour

In footage captured by bloggers ‘Tripping with Tanni & Al‘ in October, Adam Rowland (Remi) and Ryan Bown were seen filming outside the former Lyrik house, currently home to Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) and Eden (Stephanie Panozzo).

With a wheelchair-bound Sonny currently living in the pier apartment above the diner, it’s possible he may have relocated now that he cannot manage the stairs.

In the scene, Sonny is frustrated that Remi didn’t tell him something sooner.

Sonny follows Remi out of the house, asking him to stop. We then hear Remi tell Sonny, “I didn’t tell you what was going on because I was trying to protect you…”

Sonny angrily snaps back at Remi: “Protect me? Oh, right, because I can’t possibly support you now that I’m some pathetic loser in a wheelchair!”

“Why do you keep going on about that?” Remi replies. “No one in there thinks you’re pathetic.”

“Clearly you think that!” Sonny replies.

“I don’t! If anything, at least you’re doing something, going to rehab, getting better!” Remi retorts, his frustration clear.

“Yeah, well I almost didn’t!” Sonny adds.

“But you did!”

“Okay, and your point is?”

“The point is, I could’ve had one operation, had this tumour cut out…” Remi concludes, as he points towards his head.

Around the same time, a photo was posted on social media showing Remi in an operating theatre, surrounded by the surgical team.

The scene appears to have been filmed in an actual hospital rather than a studio set, given away by the presence of a real ceiling.

On the wall to the left can be seen brain scans, suggesting that Remi is going under the knife to remove the tumour he was discussing with Sonny.

Adam Rowland is still believed to be filming, suggesting that his tumour won’t put his life at imminent risk.

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New character Holden Dwyer

Tonight’s final episodes introduced new character Holden Dwyer, played by Lach Millar.

In the episode, Holden and another newcomer, Isaac, joined the Summer Bay lot as they partied before their trip to the festival.

Isaac introduced himself to Mackenzie and explained that he and best friend Holden were heading to the festival to see Isaac’s cousin perform.

Isaac tried and failed to make a move on Mackenzie as they enjoyed the station party, but Mac revelled in the opportunity to turn him down.

Soon after, as the train journey began, Holden and Lacey crossed paths for the first time as they both went for the last mimosa, and later bumped into each other again – literally.

Could romance be on the cards for Holden and Lacey next year?

A video taken by CelebTime during the Home and Away Tour on Tuesday 19th August saw Lach Millar and Sophea Pennington filming a scene on the beach, suggesting that their characters will be getting to know each other further in 2026.

Lach, then going under the name Lachie Millar, previously starred as recurring guest character Richie Amblin in Neighbours between 2019 and 2023.

He was first rumoured to be joining the show in late July, when the cast headed to Cowra, NSW, to film the Season Finale.

Tristan Gorey added a post to Instagram showed Lach alongside a number of the show’s existing cast members, including fellow newcomer Stephen Madsen.

In early August, Lach posted a photo of a man on a surfboard, alongside the caption “Consider this, the hint of the century”. The post has since been removed.

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A new character played by Rocco Forrester-Sach

Another new face in the Bay has been spotted on location this week, after fan Alan Bilsland shared photos from a visit to Palm Beach.

The actor, who Back to the Bay has identified as Rocco Forrester-Sach, was seen filming with Nicholas Cartwright.

Cash is out on one of his customary runs when he crosses paths with the mystery newcomer, though the image and brief clip offer little clue as to the nature of their exchange.

Some fans who witnessed the shoot have speculated that the character could be a new police officer, but at this early stage there’s no confirmation—nor any indication as to whether he’s a short-term guest or new regular.

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Brax and Ricky return as Home and Away heads west

Earlier this year, the show revealed that Darryl “Brax” Braxton (Stephen Peacocke) and Erica “Ricky” Sharpe (Bonnie Sveen) would return to Home and Away for a brief stint early in 2026.

The news came a month after Seven announced that the show would be heading to Western Australia for the first time, to film a blockbuster week of episodes.

Filming locations in the western state were set to include Perth and its rugged coastline, as well as the state’s expansive red outback.

At the time, producers promised that the special episodes would see “an ambitious, high-stakes storyline”, filmed in the “stunning natural beauty” of Australia’s westernmost state.

Shortly after, the show released a series of photos of the pair, who left Summer Bay for the final time in 2016, wearing ‘akubra’ or outback hats, surrounded by the iconic red dirt of the Aussie outback.

In one of the promotional pictures for the pair’s return, Bonnie Sveen is seen holding a film slate which shows that the pair were filming episode 8688, part of production block 1736.

Exact air dates depend on when Home and Away returns to screens in 2026, as well as the number of episodes Channel 7 airs per week, which varies between four and six episodes across the year.

However, we anticipate Brax and Ricky’s special episodes to air on Australian screens sometime between mid-March and mid-April.

Tonight’s 2026 promo, which aired after the finale, gave us a first look at their scenes. We see Brax riding through a cattle ranch on a dirt bike, before greeting Ricky with a “missed me?”

“Ah, you wish,” she replies with a smile.

We then see Brax and Ricky’s child, Casey, run up to his dad and give him a hug.

Then, the pair look relaxed at the beach, as Ricky dries off after a surf, before scenes of the father and son fixing up the dirt bike.

The pair are living the relaxed life in Queensland, as we see Brax driving a boat, while Ricky points out a kangaroo on the shore to Casey.

However, as the pace of the shots increases and the music builds, a truck pulls up next to a car, as we see Ricky with a concerned look on her face.

“Once a River Boy, always a River Boy,” Ricky says to her partner. Are the pair really living a peaceful life, or is there more River Boy drama to come in 2026?

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Tane meets up with Brax

While it wasn’t confirmed why we’d be reuniting with Brax and Ricky, fans soon began to spot filming taking place in Perth, and noticed another familiar face – Ethan Browne, aka Tane Parata!

Fans saw Stephen and Ethan – plus various members of the show’s crew – filming in Perth’s CBD, both at The Bell Tower tourist attraction, and nearby Elizabeth Quay.

Tane’s decision to visit the pair in Western Australia is unusual, considering he never met Brax or Ricky, having moved to Summer Bay in 2020, some four years after the pair departed.

However, Tane did briefly meet Brax’s brother Heath (Dan Ewing), when Dean (Patrick O’Connor) and the River Boys helped out him and brother Ari (Rob Kipa-Williams) in the 2021 Season Return.

The Parata brothers found themselves in a spot of bother with another gang, and Dean called on his old River Boy mates – including Heath – to help them out.

The 2026 promo also featured a brief shot of Brax and another character in silhouette, and it certainly looks a lot like Tane.

With Dean (Patrick O’Connor) and Ziggy (Sophea Dillman) currently busy looking after new baby Daniella, could Tane have turned to Brax to help him with some more trouble?

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Summer Bay Fit is temporary closed

Adding to the theory that Tane has fled Summer Bay for Western Australia, pictures emerged in early November showing that his business, Summer Bay Fit, is temporarily closed.

The footage was taken by fan Ashton Richardson and uploaded to YouTube.

As well as showing that Sonny is still filming in a wheelchair in recent weeks, the footage shows an advertising board for the gym with the words ‘SUMMER BAY FIT CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.’

Then, in footage filmed by fan Alan Bilsland in the last few days and posted on Instagram, we see John Palmer (Shane Withington) approach Lacey, who’s busy cleaning boards, and ask her when the gym will be reopening.

Lacey is annoyed by his questioning, and tells him that Tane is the guy who broke her sister’s heart, so she doesn’t “care about his stupid gym” before walking off in frustration.

With Jo having recently decided to pursue a relationship with ex-boyfriend Eddie, after Tane told her they should just go back to being friends, what causes Tane to break Jo’s heart next year?

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Brax and Ricky are back in Summer Bay!

While the show has publicly announced that we’ll be catching up with Brax and Ricky in the Western Australia episodes, they’ve been keeping something under wraps – it looks like the pair are set to head back to Summer Bay too!

On Tuesday 11th November, visitors on the CelebTime Home and Away tour got a surprise when they stumbled upon Stephen Peacocke at Palm Beach, the real-life location used for filming Summer Bay’s external scenes.

At that time, a fan claimed that Stephen was simply at the location filming a Channel 7 promo for the Western Australia event.

However, on a different day, fan Alex Douch also posted a photo to Instagram showing both Stephen Peacocke and Bonnie Sveen filming at Palm Beach, accompanied by a child actor presumably playing their son, Casey.

The pictures certainly make it look like the trio were filming a scene rather than a promo, suggesting that Brax and Ricky will be making a return to Summer Bay after we catch up with them in Western Australia.

Both actors are only believed to be back in a guest capacity, so they won’t be around for long.

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Who’s in trouble with the law?

In a sleepy beachside town like Summer Bay, full of law-abiding citizens, there sure is a lot of crime.

The 2026 promo shows that Yabbie Creek’s finest will be kept busy next year, as we see Cash looking at a board at the station with out-of-focus shot of a man or two men they’re presumably looking for.

In the bottom right corner, there’s a picture which bears a striking resemblance to Tane.

We then see Cash, David and a number of officers launching a search.

Back at the station, we see Mali (Kyle Shilling) being questioned.

Then, we see Cash talking to someone, who’s handcuffed in a cell at the station.

We don’t get to see the character’s face, but not many of our Summer Bay favourites have those biceps – has Tane found himself in trouble with the law once again?