For more than three decades, Home and Away has held a unique place in Australian television. Set against the sun-soaked beauty of Summer Bay, the series has always balanced romance,

family, and community with an unflinching willingness to explore loss. That contrast—golden beaches paired with devastating tragedy—is precisely why certain deaths on the show continue

to haunt viewers long after the credits roll. Even now, fans admit there are moments they simply “can’t rewatch” because the emotional impact remains too raw.

As Home and Away prepares to return in 2026, the conversation around its most heartbreaking deaths has reignited, fuelled by a dramatic 2025 finale and mounting fears that more beloved characters could be lost. The newly released trailer promises rescue missions, hospital vigils, and irreversible consequences—an unsettling reminder of just how often Summer Bay demands a heavy emotional toll.

A Legacy of Loss That Shaped Summer Bay

Unlike many long-running soaps, Home and Away has never shied away from killing off central characters. These deaths are rarely meaningless shocks; instead, they often serve as turning points that reshape families, friendships, and the moral landscape of the show. From sudden accidents to slow-burning illnesses, the series has delivered losses that changed the course of entire generations.

Among the most frequently cited heartbreakers are early tragedies like Bobby Simpson and Meg Bowman—deaths that set the emotional template for the show. These moments established Home and Away as a soap unafraid to confront the fragility of life, particularly within a coastal town where danger often lurks beneath the surface.

Television critics have long praised the way many of these storylines were handled, especially throughout the 1990s and early 2010s. Characters such as Shane Parrish and Charlie Buckton weren’t simply written out; their deaths were carefully woven into longer emotional arcs that allowed grief, guilt, and healing to play out on screen. Charlie’s death, in particular, is still cited by critics as one of the most devastating yet beautifully constructed storylines in soap history—tragic, inevitable, and transformative.

The 2025 Finale: A New Chapter of Fear

The emotional debate has intensified following the show’s 2025 season finale, which aired as a dramatic triple episode on November 19. The storyline centred on a catastrophic train derailment involving a party train heading to the Off the Rails music festival in Broken Hill. When the train came off the tracks inside a tunnel, chaos erupted—and Home and Away delivered one of its most chilling cliffhangers to date.

Several Summer Bay locals were aboard the ill-fated train, including Justin, Mackenzie, Remi, Abigail, Dana, Sonny, Lacey, Joe, and Eddie. As smoke filled the tunnel and panic spread, viewers were left without answers. The final moments showed Remi and Mackenzie lying unconscious, their fates uncertain, as the screen abruptly cut to black.

The emotional weight of the scene was intensified by what came just before the crash: Eddie proposing to Joe. Joe’s hesitation—failing to give an answer—sparked immediate discussion among fans, particularly those rooting for Joe’s unresolved connection with Tane. Within seconds, romance gave way to disaster, reinforcing the show’s long-standing theme that happiness in Summer Bay is often heartbreakingly fragile.

High Stakes in 2026: Rescue, Risk, and Reckoning

When Home and Away returns on Monday, January 19, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. on Channel 7 and streaming on 7plus, viewers will finally learn who survives the tunnel tragedy. The trailer promises intense rescue efforts led by Levi Fowler and Tane Parata, with tensions flaring as Levi clashes with Constable Cash Newman over access to the danger zone. In a move that has thrilled fans, Tane ultimately defies police orders and enters the tunnel, embodying the self-sacrificing heroism that has long defined the character.

Other haunting images include Sergeant David Langham surveying the wreckage and paramedics wheeling a stretcher bearing a body concealed beneath a white sheet—an image that has sent fans into a spiral of speculation and dread. While the show has carefully avoided revealing who survives, the implication is clear: Summer Bay may be mourning once again.

Nostalgia Amid the Pain: The Return of Brax and Ricky

Amid the fear and uncertainty, the 2026 trailer also delivers a moment of pure nostalgia with the return of Brax and Ricky, played by Steve Peacocke and Bonnie Sveen. The couple, who left the show in 2016, remain fan favourites, and their reappearance has been described as a “gift” to longtime viewers.

Introduced in 2011 as part of the River Boys storyline, Brax quickly became a standout character, particularly through his relationship with Ricky, who arrived in Summer Bay two years later. Their journey—marked by passion, conflict, and growth—left a lasting impression. Filmed largely in Western Australia, their return scenes reportedly explore themes of reflection and life choices, offering a quieter emotional counterpoint to the chaos unfolding elsewhere.

Ray Meagher, who plays Alf Stewart, has spoken warmly about reuniting with Steve Peacocke on set, hinting at deeply personal conversations between Alf and Brax. With familiar faces such as Leah, Marilyn, and John Palmer also appearing, the show is clearly leaning into its legacy as it steps into a new year.

Fans React: Excitement, Fear, and Emotional Fatigue

Unsurprisingly, social media erupted the moment the return date was announced. Fans expressed overwhelming excitement—but also anxiety. Many admitted they spent the holiday break worrying about Remi and Mackenzie, while others confessed they were bracing themselves for another devastating loss.

The image of the white-sheeted body has become a focal point of fear, with viewers pleading online for their favourites to survive. At the same time, the heroic scenes involving Tane and Levi have been praised as a reminder of the show’s core values: courage, loyalty, and community.

Yet alongside the anticipation, a deeper conversation has emerged about the show’s reliance on tragedy. Some critics argue that recent deaths—such as Felicity Newman in 2024 and Theo Poulos in 2025—felt more like shock tactics than natural conclusions to character arcs. Others warn that too many losses risk emotionally exhausting viewers.

Still, defenders of the show argue that Home and Away has never portrayed Summer Bay as a safe haven. Loss, they say, is essential to its storytelling power, forcing characters—and audiences—to confront grief and growth.

Why These Deaths Still Matter

What ultimately unites fans and critics alike is one undeniable truth: Home and Away continues to make people feel. The most heartbreaking deaths are remembered not just because characters died, but because of what their absence meant to those left behind. These moments reshaped relationships, altered futures, and left emotional scars that lingered for years.

As the series heads into 2026 with unresolved danger and emotional fallout on the horizon, the legacy of its most tragic losses looms large. Whether viewers are bracing for heartbreak or hoping for survival, one thing is certain—Home and Away remains a show capable of sparking intense emotion, passionate debate, and unforgettable television moments.