Ahead of Home and Away’s earth-shattering train crash in this year’s season finale, the big question we’ll be left with is: who will die?
Channel Seven has already teased that someone will perish because of the deadly derailment, but will it be one of our favourites? We’ll have to wait until 2026 for the answer to that one.
We do know what Summer Bay stalwart Alf (Ray Meagher) will most likely say when he gets wind of the accident: “Stone the flamin’ crows!”
Of course, H&A is no stranger to cliff hanger season finales. Since the show began, we’ve seen floods, kidnappings and killings.
And in the 2016 season finale, a bushfire lit by an arsonist – who we learnt was John Palmer (Shane Withington) – threatened a crowd at a music festival headlined by Jessica Mauboy. Maybe music festivals are a bad idea…
But which season finales are top of the pile? Let’s count down the six unforgettable H&A finales that stood out like a River Boy at the ballet.
The 6 best Home and Away cliff hanger finales
6. Bus crash (2014)
Some of the best H&A finales involve several key characters brought together in one shocking storyline with multiple lives at stake (like a train crash!).
Here, hunky Dr Nate (Kyle Pryor) was knocked out and doused in petrol by his crazed ex, Sophie (Bridgette Sneddon). They are then involved in a car crash with a bus carrying, among others, a pregnant Ricky (Bonnie Sveen) and Leah (Ada Nicodemou). But wait, Brax (Stephen Peacocke), Ricky’s baby daddy, is also involved in the crash in a third vehicle.
Phew, we’re breathless just recalling the details.
5. The flood (1996)
Torrential rain wreaked havoc on the Bay causing a massive flood in the 1996 final.
When Michael Ross (Dennis Coard) stopped to yell a message to Alf, young Sam Marshall (Ryan Clark) fell into a flooded river.
Michael jumped in to try and rescue his foster son but was swept to his death.
4. Hospital siege (2019)
Talk about tense! Lives are in danger when a crime gang linked to Robbo (Jake Ryan) trap Summer Bay residents in the Northern Districts Hospital and hold them hostage.
When nurse Mason (Orpheus Pledger) stands up to the crims, he is shot dead. So brutal. So memorable.
3. Charlie is shot by Jake (2011)
This one was heartbreaking for fans. And the big reason was because it signalled the end of the Brax and Charlie (Esther Anderson) era. Charlie was on her last shift before moving away from the Bay with Brax, Casey (Lincoln Younes) and Ruby (Rebecca Breeds). But crim Jake Pirovic (Fletcher Humphrys) had other ideas, sinking two bullets into Charlie as payback for the death of his brother, Hammer (Benedict Samuel). The agonising wait until the next year to find out whether Charlie would pull through. And when she didn’t, it was like someone had pulled the ground out from under us. Devastating.
2. Sally is stabbed and left for dead! (2006)
Poor Sally (Kate Ritchie)!
After the death of husband, Flynn (Joel McIlroy), Sally’s life appeared to have turned around when she shared sneaky kiss with work colleague, Brad (Chris Sadrinna).
But in a horror twist, Rocco (Ian Meadows) follows through on his brother’s orders and stabs Sally, leaving her for dead.
1. Who shot Charlotte? (2001)
They don’t make finales like this anymore.
And it’s a real shame, because the buildup, execution (no pun intended) and investigation the following year made this one of the best storylines of the modern era of the show. Teacher Charlotte King (Erika Heynatz) was a blonde cyclone, leaving a trail of bloody destruction in the Bay.
This included, but was not limited to, accidentally killing Denny (Jessica Grace Smith). By the time Charlotte was shot in the season finale, half the town wanted her dead. Yep, it was a long list of suspects which was fully explored in 2016. with the killer finally being revealed as Josh Barrett (Jackson Gallagher).
The Home and Away 2025 finale airs tonight on Channel Seven, with the show returning in 2026. As fans wait to learn who dies in the train crash, one thing’s certain: nobody does cliffhanger finales quite like Home and Away.
Home and Away will return in 2026 on Channel Seven and 7Plus.
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