Let’s be real here, is there anything more quintessentially Aussie that firing up the barbie, cracking into a packet of Tim Tams and whacking on Home and Away in the background?
If you grew up in Australia, you’ll no doubt be privy to the sweet tones of the iconic Aussie soap’s theme tune, starting with those five, fateful words: “You know we belong together…”
Oh yes, yes we do know.
So much so that we decided to take a look back at our favourite couples from Home and Away, counting down from 30…
So who will be number one? Keep scrolling to find out!
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30. Scott & Dani
When Dani Sutherland (Tammin Sursok) first spotted Scott Hunter (Kip Gamblin) riding his horse on the beach in 2003, she was instantly smitten – and so were we. An early hiccup in their relationship was caused by the arrival of Scott’s alcoholic sister Kit. Dani and Scott got engaged, but split after he believed she was having an affair with a book publisher.
29. Tom & Pippa
Thirty years ago, Pippa (Vanessa Downing) and Tom Fletcher (Roger Oakley) arrived in the Bay with their five foster kids. They’d left the city to make a new life for their family after buying the caravan park. They soon became one of TV’s most popular parental couples. Fans were devastated when Tom died following a heart attack in 1990.
28. Carly & Ben
This fiery couple first met in the Diner when handsome soldier Ben Lucini (Julian McMahon) arrived in the Bay while on leave from the army. Carly Morris (Sharyn Hodgson) liked what she saw and they began dating. The pair married in 1990 and moved to Perth soon afterwards.
27. Marilyn & Donald
No-one in Summer Bay expected straight-laced Summer Bay High principal Donald Fisher (Norman Coburn) to fall for bubbly beautician Marilyn [Emily Symons]. Donald was old enough to be Marilyn’s father, but the odd couple surprised everyone by getting engaged. After getting married in 1996, Marilyn and Donald welcomed a baby boy, who they named Byron.
Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger) struck up a romance with Ken Smith (Anthony Phelan), but their love didn’t last. Irene had a premonition that her fiancé would die, and her worst fear was realised when a car fell on the mechanic at work in 2000.
25. Meg & Blake
Meg Bowman (Cathy Godbold) was only in Summer Bay for a couple of months, but that was long enough for Blake Dean (Les Hill) to fall head over heels in love. The schoolboy was devastated to find out Meg was dying from leukaemia. The teenager eventually passed away in his arms.
24. Leah & Dan
When Leah fell for schoolteacher Dan Baker (Tim Campbell), fans were thrilled. Despite his ex-wife Amanda Vale’s (Holly Brisley) attempt to sabotage their wedding, they married in 2005. Tragically, Dan was killed in an abseiling accident.
23. Steven & Selina
As student and teacher, their love was scandalous, to say the least! Steven Matheson (Adam Willits) lost his teaching job over his illicit affair with teenager Selina Roberts (Tempany Deckert). Selina moved overseas, but they later reunited and tied the knot.
22. Tasha & Robbie
Tasha Andrews (Isabel Lucas) and Robbie Hunter (Jason Smith) were H&A fan favourites. Following an HIV scare, an entanglement with a dangerous cult, a murder charge and a pregnancy, the couple left the Bay in 2006 for a quieter life in Boston.
21. Bobby & Greg
Bobby had a second chance at love with Greg Marshall (Ross Newton), the father of her foster son, Sam. But their happiness was cut short when she died after being injured in a speedboat accident in 1993.
20. John & Marilyn
Marilyn Chambers (Emily Symons) finally got her happy ever after with John Palmer (Shane Withington) when the pair started dating in 2013. They endured hard times when John was outed as the Summer Bay arsonist and sent to jail. While it was smoothing sailing after his release, things have sadly come to an end for the couple, but we still think they’re iconic.
19. Dexter & April
Young love blossomed for students April Scott (Rhiannon Fish) and Dexter Walker (Charles Cottier). But they had their share of ups and downs, like Dex being sprung kissing someone else and April falling for Heath Braxton! The pair eventually reunited and tied the knot in 2013, before moving to Paris.
18. Scott & Hayley
When Hayley (Bec Hewitt) fell pregnant in 2005, she wasn’t sure if the father was Scott Hunter (Kip Gamblin) or Kim Hyde. A love triangle developed, but Hayley eventually chose to be with Scott, who also turned out to be the baby daddy.
17. Aden & Belle
This couple endured a huge amount of trauma in their relationship, from Aden’s (Todd Lasance) emotional breakdown to Belle’s (Jessica Tovey) painkiller addiction. But Belle’s shock cancer diagnosis and heartbreaking death just four weeks after their 2009 wedding left the community weeping for days.
It’s almost impossible to believe that poor Pippa Fletcher (Debra Lawrance) would grieve for not one, but two husbands – but that’s what she had to endure when her second husband Michael Ross (Dennis Coard) died in 1996 while trying to rescue Sam (Ryan Clark) from a raging flood.
In real life, Debra and Dennis have been happily married since 1992.
15. Will & Gypsy
Who didn’t love the feisty Gyspy Nash (Kimberley Cooper) and Will Smith (Zac Drayson) together? Will was there for Gypsy throughout the fallout of her kidnapping ordeal and even delivered their baby Lily roadside when Gypsy went into labour in 2001. If only their love had lasted…
14. Travis & Rebecca
It was a wild and windy day when Travis Nash (Nic Testoni) and Rebecca Fisher (Belinda Emmett) said “I do” on the beach in 1997, but their surprise wedding was beautiful. The happy couple became foster parents for a while before sailing away on a tall ship to begin a new life in Canada.
13. Kane & Kirsty
The Sutherland family was torn apart when they discovered Kirsty (Christie Hayes) was dating Kane Phillips (Sam Atwell) – the bad boy who had sexually assaulted her older sister Dani (Tammin Sursok). Despite her family’s objections, the smitten schoolgirl couldn’t stay away. The pair eloped in 2004, but later reaffirmed their wedding vows in front of their family and friends.
12. Alf & Ailsa
One of Australian TV’s most iconic couples, Alf (Ray Meagher) and Ailsa Stewart (Judy Nunn) were the heart and soul of Summer Bay. No-nonsense Ailsa could cope with Alf’s temper, and their rock-solid relationship withstood everything, from Ailsa’s battle with postnatal depression to her nervous breakdown in the aftermath of a dramatic hold-up at the Diner. Sadly, Alf lost his soulmate Ailsa when she died of a heart attack in 2000.
11. Rachel & Kim
Their marriage failed – especially after Kim Hyde (Chris Hemsworth) fathered baby Archie with Kit (Amy Mizzi) – but we still loved troubled doctor Rachel Armstrong (Amy Mathews) and hunky Kim as a couple. Their wedding was a highlight.
10. Romeo & Indi
Indi Walker (Samara Weaving) and Romeo Smith’s (Luke Mitchell) sweet love story won plenty of hearts. But like so many couples before them, tragedy struck. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2013, Romeo secretly left the Bay to spare his young wife the pain of his death. We’re still crying…
9. Martha & Jack
This couple married twice and dealt with Martha MacKenzie’s (Jodi Gordon) breast cancer battle and alcoholism, but it seemed nothing could tear them apart. Fans were stunned when Jack Holden (Paul O’Brien) died in 2008 after Angelo Rosetta (Luke Jacobz) accidentally shot him.
8. Bianca & Heath
Who could blame teacher Bianca Scott (Lisa Gormley) for falling for bad boy Heath Braxton (Dan Ewing)? Their passionate relationship scaled the heights – they got married in 2013 – and plumbed the depths after their son Rocco passed away from SIDS. But a seemingly unbreakable bond always existed between one of our all-time favourite couples.
7. Hayley & Noah
After Noah Lawson (Beau Brady) rescued Hayley Smith (Bec Cartwright) from some thugs outside a nightclub, the pair fell in love. Noah proposed to Hayley on her 21st birthday and the pair wed. Tragedy struck in 2004, however, when Noah was shot dead by psychopath Sarah Lewis (Luisa Hastings-Edge).
6. Vinnie & Leah
Larrikin lifeguard and part-time stripper Vinnie Patterson (Ryan Kwanten) seemed unlikely to settle down, until he met Leah Poulos (Ada Nicodemou). Shortly after the couple’s big Greek wedding, Leah fell pregnant and welcomed a baby boy, VJ, in 2001. Just hours after his son’s birth, however, Vinnie was arrested on fraud charges. He was sentenced to two years in jail, but sadly died in witness protection.
5. Charlie & Brax
Brax [Stephen Peacocke] was exciting, dangerous and no stranger to police. So when he fell for beautiful local cop Charlie Buckton, it looked as though the River Boy gang leader would finally be tamed. They were the ultimate soap couple, which also meant their love was doomed. Brax and Charlie were planning to move to the city together when she was shot by crazed crim Jake Pirovic (Fletcher Humphrys). Brax was forced to switch off Charlie’s life support in 2012, ending one of the Bay’s greatest love stories.
4. Bobby & Frank
From the moment they appeared on screen together in 1988, Bobby Simpson (Nicolle Dickson) and Frank Morgan (Alex Papps) had great chemistry. Of course, being teenagers meant their love was plagued with drama, thanks especially to evil Roo (Justine Clarke), who wanted Frank for herself. But the pair were inseparable and they eventually married.
3. Sally & Flynn
A string of failed romances made Sally Fletcher (Kate Ritchie) cautious when it came to relationships. But charming doctor Flynn Saunders (Joel McIlroy) quickly won her over and the pair tied the knot in 2003. The newlyweds were thrilled when Leah (Ada Nicodemou) offered to be a surrogate, and they welcomed a baby girl called Pippa.
But their world crumbled when Flynn was diagnosed with melanoma and given just three months to live. In his final hours, Sally and Flynn danced to their wedding song.
2. Brax & Ricky
After the tragic loss of Charlie (Esther Anderson), Darryl “Brax” Braxton (Stephen Peacocke) had all but given up hope of finding love. But the arrival of Ricky Sharpe (Bonnie Sveen) turned his life right-side up. Of course, theirs was never an easy love. Brax was sent to jail for a murder he didn’t commit. He escaped, but chose to fake his own death to protect those he loved. Believing Brax dead, Ricky went on to marry Dr Nate Cooper (Kyle Pryor). When her marriage to Nate broke down, Brax made a shock return to Summer Bay.
He was cleared of all criminal charges and won Ricky’s heart – again. Along with their baby boy Casey, the lovers left Summer Bay in 2016 and became a proper family at last.
1. Shane and Angel
It’s been more than 25 years since they fell in love, but H&A fans will never forget Shane Parrish (Dieter Brummer) and Angel Brooks’ (Melissa George) tumultuous love story. The pair got off to a rocky start when runaway teen Angel showed up in the Bay and sold Shane fake concert tickets, but eventually fell madly in love. Although, they nearly broke up when Shane discovered Angel had a son she’d never told him about! In the lead-up to their 2005 wedding, Angel was hit by a car and left paralysed.
On their big day, however, she miraculously stood up from her wheelchair and walked down the aisle. It was a moment fans won’t ever forget. One year later, Shane suddenly collapsed and died from septicaemia, leaving Angel – and viewers – heartbroken. Sob!
