A decade after beloved couple Brax and Ricky left Summer Bay for a new life together, tonight’s Home and Away in Australia saw the pair leave once again, this time with Brax a free man.
Brax (Stephen Peacocke) and Ricky (Bonnie Sveen) first left the bay together back in 2016, looking to start a new life after a turbulent few years.
Brax had been on the run since 2015, having escaped custody after being charged with killing Dean Sanderson (Kevin Kiernan-Molloy), the then-boyfriend of Ash’s (George Mason) sister Billie (Tessa de Josselin).
At the time, Ricky agreed to go on the run with him. Yet tragedy struck when Brax’s escort vehicle was run off the road, and Ricky learnt that he was missing, likely dead.
However, in reality he had survived the crash, and Martin “Ash” Ashford (George Mason) had helped him go into hiding.
With Ricky believing that Brax was dead, she eventually moved on with Nate Cooper (Kyle Pryor).
The pair got engaged, but the moment was ruined the following year, when Ash revealed that Brax was still alive.
Desperate for answers, Ricky agreed to help find Brax, and he returned, asking her to go on the run with him once more.
With Casey ill, Ricky refused. She allowed him to see their child one final time, and she and Nate eventually wed.
In 2016, it was revealed that Brax had been exonerated of Dean’s murder after the real killer – Sam Kennedy (Wade Briggs) – confessed, and he was in theory a free man.
After his and Ricky’s marriage broke down, Nate summoned Brax back to the bay, knowing that he had always been Ricky’s true love, and the pair got back together.
Brax and Ricky decided that they’d like to move closer to Heath, Bianca and Kyle, so bid farewell to Ash, Nate and Phoebe (Isabella Giovinazzo) and embarked on a new journey.
Then, a decade later, we caught up with them.
Brax and Ricky’s return was first announced back in August last year, a month after the show announced that it would be heading to Western Australia to film for the first time in the show’s history.
Speaking of his return, Stephen Peacocke said: “I’ll always be grateful to Home and Away for being the launchpad to my career, and I’ve got a sincere appreciation for the fans who’ve followed my work since.
“When the producers asked if I’d revisit Brax, it felt like a fun opportunity – and one I think the audience will really enjoy. Filming in spectacular outback Western Australia is the icing on the cake.”
Filming began in October, and with some scenes taking place in Perth’s CBD, fans soon spotted the Home and Away cast and crew in the city.
The filming revealed that Tane (Ethan Browne) would also be featuring in the Western Australis scenes, with fans spotting him alongside Stephen Peacocke outside The Bell Tower tourist attraction in Perth, and at nearby Elizabeth Quay.
A decade after their departure, we were finally reunited with the pair in March of this year, when Mackenzie (Emily Weir) asked her brother Dean (Patrick O’Connor) for help in making Tane (Ethan Browne) disappear.
Tane had been framed on drug charges by Harper’s (Jessica Redmayne) mum Kerrie (Sara Wiseman), and with the police unable to track down Kerrie, things weren’t looking good for Tane’s future.
When Dean called on Brax for help, we were finally reunited with him and Ricky as we got our first glimpse of the pair and their now 10-year-old son Casey (Austin Cutcliffe) on the remote cattle station they now called home.
We soon learnt that, despite his promise to Ricky that he was now a free man, Brax never handed himself in to the police after skipping jail, and was in theory still a wanted man.
So, he, Ricky and their baby son Casey spent the next decade in hiding, and settled down on a remote cattle ranch near Exmouth in Western Australia.
Brax soon agreed to welcome Tane to their WA ranch, where the plan was seemingly for him to join them in spending the rest of his life in hiding.
In the end, he was tracked down by Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) and Jo (Maddison Brown), who soon convinced him to return to Summer Bay and face the consequences of having skipped bail.
Tane’s willingness to return to the bay got Brax thinking, and he proposed to Ricky that they too return to Summer Bay, where Brax could potentially clear his name once and for all.
Cash soon confirmed that Brax was still wanted for skipping bail, and the family returned to the bay for the first time in a decade ready ready for Brax to hand himself in.
They were forced to hide away in Tane’s now empty house for a few days while Cash was away in the city facing consequences of his own, having been berated by Sergeant David (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) for going rogue and leaving the bay to track down Tane.
When Cash finally returned and accompanied Brax to Yabbie Creek Police Station, Brax explained his case to David, and was told that he’d have to face a magistrate the following day.
The next morning, Brax’s fate was confirmed – the magistrate decided it would be too expensive to re-open Brax’s case, and he was now a free man.
Brax began thinking that he, Ricky and Casey could make a permanent move back to Summer Bay – but unfortunately, he wasn’t able to keep himself out of trouble.
When he found one of the latest crop of River Boys, a man by the name of Sterlo (Dave Hoey), harassing Mackenzie at Salt, he launched at him and threw him down the stairs of the restaurant, making it clear that he was also a River Boy and that they didn’t treat women that way.
The following day, Brax took his family to Mangrove River, where he and Ricky grew up and where the River Boys were first formed.
While he claimed he simply wanted to show Casey where they grew up, he also had another motive – he wanted to see what his former gang were up to these days.
He soon found out, as Casey inadvertently came face to face with a group of lads.
Brax once again came face to face with Sterlo, who made it clear that Brax no longer had any business in the town.
While Brax managed to walk away, he soon returned to Mangrove River in secret, where he got into a full-on brawl with Sterlo and the other River Boys.
With Ricky having noticed her partner’s absence, she realised what was going on, and after borrowing Mackenzie’s car, she raced over to find Brax mid-fight. With Casey having accompanied her, Brax had a lot of explaining to do as he tried to justify to his son why he was fighting.
The incident prompted Ricky to refuse to entertain Brax’s idea of a permanent move back to Summer Bay, knowing that his River Boy past would always haunt him. With Casey still growing up, she didn’t want to risk him following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a River Boy himself.
Last Thursday’s episode saw Brax catch up with Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher) for the first time in a decade, as the pair bumped into each other on the beach while Alf was on his way to do a spot of fishing.
Tonight’s episode in Australia saw Brax open up to Alf about his big dilemma – should he stay in Summer Bay to raise his son, or return to the life that he, Ricky and Casey had built for themselves over the past decade in Western Australia?
Of course, Alf has strong feelings about the bay – telling Brax that “there’s no better place to raise a family”. However, Brax explained that Ricky wanted to keep the past where it belongs.
As the pair took their conversation to Salt, Alf asked Brax what his definition of home is, and Brax explained that it’d shifted things a bit since being a dad.
When Brax threw the question back at him, Alf told Brax that Summer Bay is home – “best little joint in the world if you ask me that’s why I’ve lived here all my life.”
It’s where he raised his family, found his community, and that “the joint beings me peace.”
However, Brax explained that the only time he’s known peace is when he held his son in his arms.
Taking some time to reflect, Brax decided that since becoming a father, “home is the place where your family feels safe” – as it became clear that he was beginning to come to a decision.
Alf told Brax that while they’ve had their differences in the past, he doesn’t doubt Brax’s loyalty to his family, and knows he’ll make the right call.
Back on Saxon Avenue, Casey’s head was still spinning after witnessing the fight between his dad and the River Boys.
Ricky was becoming overwhelmed with all of the questions about Brax’s past, and when Casey asked whether he really died in an accident as he’d been told, Ricky told him that he needed to ask his dad.
When Brax returned, Casey did just that. Brax sat his son down and explained that his uncle’s death wasn’t an accident as he’d previously claimed. Instead, Casey had gotten caught up in some trouble, and although he didn’t start it, he died as a result of it.
“Someone hurt him, and he was brave till the end,” Brax explained, fighting back tears.
The moment allowed Casey to see a more vulnerable side to his dad and he felt bad as his dad got choked up, as Brax explained that he’d do things differently if he could turn back time, “and maybe Uncle Casey’d still be with us.”
Ricky still wasn’t convinced that the bay was the best place for them going forward, knowing the questions would just keep coming, and pushed Brax to make a decision.
Brax explained that the bay was a part of him and that they both had a history there, so it wasn’t that easy to leave.
“And not all that history is good. And being this close to Mangrove River is toxic for this family,” Rick retorted. “We need to go home!”
The following morning, we saw Brax on the beach, where he was joined by Ricky, who was clearly happy with the decision he’d made.
We then saw the pair walk up the path to the Surf Club, where they were greeted by their friends from their previous stint in the bay – Alf, Marilyn (Emily Symons), Leah (Ada Nicodemou) and Justin (James Stewart) – who were there to bid them farewell, with Alf even promising to make a trip to WA one day.
Brax had decided that Ricky was right, Western Australia was the best place for them.
And with that, he, Ricky and Casey bid farewell to Summer Bay once more, ready to return to the life they’d spent the last decade building.
“Summer Bay’s cool, but I can’t wait to get home,” said Casey as they began the journey home.
“You and me both, mate,” Brax replied.
Here’s the full spoilers for this week’s Home and Away episodes in Australia:
Monday 20th April (Episode 8700)
Alf gives advice to an old friend.
Brax makes a tough decision.
Tane is losing patience.
Tuesday 21st April (Episode 8701)
Mackenzie blows up at David.
Levi fights to save a life.
Harper gets an unexpected message.
Wednesday 22nd April (Episode 8702)
Mackenzie and Lacey clash.
Lacey’s grief resurfaces.
A life is on the line.
Thursday 23rd April (Episode 8703)
Will Remi pick up the guitar again?
Lacey overcomes her grief to support Jo.
Sonny withholds his good news.
