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22 Episodes 2005 - 2006
Episode 1
Helen returns to The Alice to face the coroner's inquest into the death of her husband Connor at Rainbow Valley. Her dead best friend Patrick is by her side as always but she's not letting on - everyone already thinks she's crazy. While she's been gone, ex-rock star Jack Jaffers has erected The Baa Bar - could he actually be putting down roots? He offers her a room out the back, which turns out to be a caravan with no roof, but he's as charming as ever and she accepts. Helen reveals to her lawyer Sonia that she still believes herself to be responsible for Connor's death. Despite Sonia's best efforts to convince her it's just misplaced guilt, Helen is determined to take the stand. Meanwhile, Toby and Michael have moved their Four Wheel Adventure business into Jack's bar and money is tight. Toby suggests they institute Night Sky Dreaming tours of the stars. Michael's insulted - he's not dressing up like a "postcard" blackfella while Toby sits around doing nothing. They fall out. Ellie is doing her best to ignore both her estranged husband, Hugh, and Matt, the young doctor she seduced on the Ghan. Now that Matt is sharing a house with Hugh and her son Toby, things are extremely awkward. But the chemistry between her and Matt ignites again and somehow they end up in bed together. Jack manages to miss his appearance in court, distracted by his attempt to finally tell Jess he's her father. At the 11th hour he rushes out to meet Helen at Rainbow Valley, where she relives Connor's death. With Patrick and Jack's help, Helen realises she is innocent, but she still has to get through the court case. Matt's plans to leave are ruined when his precious plant gets eaten by a stray camel calf. He's furious - he's just got word that it's a rare species that could have valuable medicinal properties. Looks like fate has intervened, as it always seems to in The Alice. Toby tells Michael he's decided to do the Night Sky Tours himself and proudly recites the dreaming story he learnt from a local Aboriginal elder. Michael has the last laugh - the story is straight out of The Lion King. At the coroner's inquest Helen's name is cleared, to everyone's relief. Jack admits he's in desperate need of management and offers Helen a job. She tells him she'll think about it. Everyone is set to collide, but The Alice has a way of intervening and giving people what they need, often in surprising ways.
Episode 2
Helen Gregory tries to find out if she is responsible for the death of her father. Matt Marione can't forget the night he spent with Ellie Delaney and Jack Jaffers waits for the right moment to tell Jess that he is her father. Toby Delaney tries to get his parents back together, but his dad finally moved out.
Episode 3
In the desert, a storm is brewing. Matt, racked with guilt at having an affair with Ellie while sharing a house with Hugh and Toby, goes bush in search of his plant. Not long into his journey he is almost struck by lightning and comes across the wrestling Watts brothers Dougie and Barry, a couple of bush mechanics who claim to be able to help him in his search, for a price. It's Jess's birthday and Kirk from the junkyard gives Jack an ultimatum - tell her he's her biological father or Kirk will reveal all. Jack invites Jess to celebrate her birthday at the Baa Bar's inaugural Happy Hour with the intention of telling her. Helen is shocked when she learns of Jack's paternity but tries to support him. Reassured, Jack rehearses his speech in the mirror and imagines Jess announcing to an ecstatic crowd "My dad is a rock star!" After running out of petrol, Matt and the Watts brothers push the car to the nearest homestead where they come across Cheryl who is in the advanced stages of labour and in urgent need of medical assistance - her baby is in a breech position. Matt calls the Flying Doctor Service but the nearest plane is grounded because of the weather. Looks like he'll have to deliver the baby with the help of the midwife on the other end of his satellite phone. Meanwhile, Ellie arrives home to find her front door ajar. Frightened an intruder is still inside she phones Hugh for help, only to hear Hugh's mobile ringing from inside the house. Annoyed, Ellie tells Hugh he can't just come around unannounced - he doesn't live there anymore. Things are looking dire for Matt and Cheryl when his phone cuts out and the plane still hasn't arrived. Then Cheryl's young daughter Zoe appears and shows Matt her birthmark. At first Matt doesn't welcome the interruption, but as Zoe tells the story of her own difficult birth Matt is given a clue as to what the problem is and delivers the baby safely. Back at the hospital safe and sound, Matt goes out to check on Zoe and she's nowhere to be found. After talking to Cheryl's husband Stuart he discovers he has just delivered their first child and that she has a birthmark identical to the mysterious little girl's. Gobsmacked, Matt suggests Zoe as a name for their daughter. Jess's party is well underway and Jack is still trying to build up the courage to tell her the news when the bar is struck by lightning. In the darkness and confusion Jack finally blurts out the truth. Stunned, Jess doesn't react quite the way he had imagined.
Episode 4
Toby and Michael's friendship is put to the test when they compete for the affection of gorgeous backpacker Simone - a girl with a dark secret that will take them deep into the desert and into a spooky run of bad luck. They are run off the road by a blown tyre, a snake finds its way into the cabin of the four-wheel drive only to mysteriously die there, and Simone nearly falls over a cliff. Then, as it becomes obvious Simone is drawn to Michael, Toby gets his nose out of joint and things become increasingly tense between the three of them. Simone finally reveals the true nature of their expedition: to return a sacred object souvenired by her parents. Ever since taking it, her family has been cursed with a run of bad luck that culminated in the death of her mother and father. Michael is aghast when he discovers they have been travelling with this object and now understands why all these strange things are happening. He explains to Simone that she can't just leave it in the desert - it must be returned to the right people. Ironically, they are at the Central Lands Council back in Alice Springs. The sacred object is returned and the future seems to brighten for Michael when he finally gets it on with Simone. Later, Toby acknowledges defeat and makes up with Michael the way only boys can - by grabbing him in a headlock. Meanwhile, Jess has brought her mother Heaven home in order to provide her with the care she needs now that her Alzheimer's is advancing. Jess is still dealing with Jack's revelation that he is her father but decides to put her hurt aside and ask for his help to try and reach Heaven. Things take an unexpected turn when Heaven regresses 23 years to the heady days of her love affair with Jack. In this reality, unfortunately, she has no idea who Jess is. Jess struggles through an odd family outing - her first ever - while Jack wishes desperately that he could be of more help. Finally, Jess is afforded a period of connection with Heaven when she finds her in the garden using stones to spell out Jessica. Heaven tells Jess she doesn't want to forget her and reveals Jack was not a part of her childhood because she wanted Jess all to herself. Though it will be a long time before Jess can forgive Jack, this is the first step. Soon after, Heaven disappears. A search is mounted and finally she is found, taken by the desert. As Hugh delivers the sad news, Jess finds herself comforting Jack. Meanwhile, Ellie's first attempt to publicly exhibit her work is derailed when Hugh buys her sculpture, leaving Ellie furious. For these two also, the road to reconciliation will be long and bumpy.
Episode 5
When Hugh discovers that Ellie is having a relationship with Matt, all hell breaks loose. Jess finds that accepting Jack into her life is a struggle.
Episode 6
In order to impress Helen, Jack takes her for an outback spin in a new Mercedes he's borrowed from a local car yard under the ruse of a test drive. Romance is in the air but just when a kiss at their secluded picnic spot seems imminent fate intervenes - a wayward champagne cork lands on the car's electronic key and locks them out. As tensions rise, Jack decides to walk back down the highway to a roadhouse, leaving Helen under the protection of Rusty and Patrick. A dusty kilometre later, Jack thumbs down a Mack truck. The driver - an attractive woman, Maxine - agrees to drop Jack off but when they reach the roadhouse, the sight of a police car prompts her to keep driving. Turns out she's on the run - from her husband and the law. Having discovered Greg's affair she has trapped him on the roof of his truck shed without a ladder. If the extreme heat doesn't kill him, the fall will. Back at the car, Helen's patience runs out. Smashing a window, she takes off after Jack. In the meantime, Jack has convinced Maxine her husband isn't worth a murder charge and is returning to pick her up. In a series of close calls, Jack and Helen keep missing each other. In the end, Helen follows Patrick's advice and takes the sports car off road where she gets bogged, while Jack returns with Max to her outback property to save her husband. Turns out Greg is okay and Jack tries to work out a reconciliation between him and Maxine (taking a moment to autograph a copy of his album for Greg. But Maxine, overcome by emotion, tries to run Greg down in the truck but Jack manages to push him out of the way just in time. There's no way these two are getting back together. A dishevelled Helen finally finds Jack, only to discover him in a clinch with the grateful Maxine. Jack, in turn, is aghast at the state of the Mercedes which is filthy and sounds like a diesel tractor. Meanwhile, Toby's attempt to put on a brave face about his mum's affair fails when he punches Matt, hurting his own hand more than Matt's head. Matt tries to hide the incident from Elliebut she finds out and is furious. An unrepentant Toby declares he is now on his dad's side of the fence. Back at the Baa Bar, Ellie is on her first official public date with Matt - a farewell party for one of his work colleagues. To her relief everyone responds positively. In fact some of the nurses want to hear all the details. Toby gives the party a miss and hangs out with Hugh on the front porch. It seems they have a lot in common of late - they've both been behaving pretty stupidly over Ellie. Jack arrives at the bar having mollified the car dealer and he and Helen make peace. The moment is interrupted by a call from Maxine - her third - and Jack feels obliged to take it. Helen says goodnight and Jack watches her walk away.
Episode 7
Late at night Toby witnesses some strange lights - maybe it's a UFO. Unfortunately for him, Michael doesn't see them or believe him. Neither does his dad Hugh. Jack returns from a morning walk to be informed by Helen that a bag of unopened mail has arrived for him. Jack doesn't 'do' mail, so Helen should sort it out for him. When Helen finds a big royalty cheque from Germany, Jack, in an attempt to bond with Jess, makes a spur of the moment grand gesture and promises to use the money to take Jess to Scotland, to visit the home of her ancestors. Despite warnings from Patrick, Helen agrees to play netball for Jess's team the next night. Meanwhile, Jess's best friend and Michael's sister Natalie has arrived in town for the weekend, with a secret. It doesn't take long for Jess to learn she's here for a blind date with a guy she met on the Internet. Back at home, Jess walks in on Elliein bed with Matt. It's embarrassing all round and Ellie and Matt realise they need to find a private space - their own piece of Switzerland. Hugh calls with the news that the lights were from the space base. But Michael decides to play a trick on Toby - he tells him the UFO could be real. Jess gets more and more excited about Scotland and buys a lovely red coat to take with her. What she doesn't know is that Helen found a credit card debt in the mail that wiped out the royalty cheque. Jack is going to have to confront his habit of making promises he can't keep, especially to Jess. Matt and Ellie buy a beautiful velvet couch for Ellie's workshop. As they carry it home, Hugh drives past. They've found their Switzerland, but Hugh is unhappy. He tells Toby that Michael's been having him on. Toby confronts Michael and the two become so caught up in disagreement they fail to notice a set of lights circling in the sky behind them. Natalie's romantic evening picnic with Will is going well. So well that they, too, fail to notice the strange lights in the night sky above them. Natalie makes a call - she's quitting her job and moving back to Alice. During the netball game a whole new Helen emerges when she accidentally on purpose smashes the nose of an opponent. She is christened 'Animal', not to Patrick's surprise. Jess pulls out of the trip before Jack can break his promise to her. Just when Jack thinks he's gotten away with the whole thing, he sees an old Aboriginal woman walking along the river, wearing Jess's red coat.
Episode 8
Jack is bitten by a tick, what causes him to hallucinate and break up with his new romance Tansy. Ellie and Matt spend a romantic weekend together, but will Ellie survive that? Natalie meets the perfect guy, but how perfect can he really be?
Episode 9
Hellen fears that her ex-husband Connor starts to hunt her again. She turns to celebrity psychic Bryan Abbot for help. Jess is also there and hopes to hear from her mother, but gets a surprise instead. Toby and Matt try to make up, while being with the Watts Brothers. Jack finds a new distraction in a young widow.
Episode 10
A strange wind blows through the town, and when it forces Toby and Michael to cancel a climb, they keep the tourists occupied by telling stories about how the wind can affect the lives of everyone it touches. When Jack gets concerned that he has lost his cool, he goes wandering through the desert.
Episode 11
Matt and Jess visit a local community and are shocked by a patient they visit. Toby and Michael vie for two backpackers, but they can't decide who couples with whom. Jess finally agrees, that her relationship with Darren is getting too complicated. Jack brings Helen in trouble.
Episode 12
Michael gets a stint on radio. Jack worries over his dinner plans with Helen. While searching for a time capsule together, Jess and Toby hook up once again, but what will go wrong this time? Hugh tries to repair his relationship with his son, forcing himself to move out of Toby's house.
Episode 13
Toby and Darren vie for the Jess. While one proposes, the other reveals his true feelings for her. Matt goes too far in purchasing a vintage motorbike. Toby and Michael's car is stolen by a juvenile work experience kid. Helen and Jack appear to be rekindling their love for each other.
Episode 14
Jess tries to pull it off with Darren, but inadvertently starts wedding preparations. Toby does what he can to get Jess back. Helen decides to become a model for an artist. Jack tries bonding with Darren. With Kyas Sherriff as Natalie Anderson, Kick Gurry as Darren, Evelyn Rankmore as Receptionist, Jacob Allan as Rob, Hayley Law as Ann, Emma Buzzo as Sam and Archie Woodhouse as Ben.
Episode 15
The pressure becomes too overwhelming for Jess. Jack offers to pay for the wedding even though he is going broke. To improve his financial status, Jack attempts a camel race where the prize money is $10,000. Jack is concerned that Helen and Simon Westlake are having an affair. Matt and Ellie have different plans for the future.
Episode 16
On the anniversary of Patrick's death, his younger brother shows up and searches Helen. Ellie and Matt finally break up and Toby starts to worry about Ellie. Meanwhile Matt already tries to hook up with Claude. Jack makes Helen an offer about her caravan and Natalie challenges Michael to a land-sailing race. Jack and Helen help Hugh to clean his house from bad spirits.
Episode 17
Michael travels to Purgatory Hill with Jack on a hunt for Lara. Jess and Darren return to the Alice for one last day before Darren must leave to work on the mine again. Matt continues to irritate Jess and Darren. Ellie's sculpture, on display in the foyer, is turned upside down, and Ellie goes to extreme measures to return it to normal.
Episode 18
When nude sketches of Helen are stolen during a burglary, she fears that her secret will be exposed. Natalie pretends she is dating Matt to make Will jealous, and the two boys find themselves competing to capture a rogue cane toad that has been causing havoc in Alice Springs.
Episode 19
Jack loses his job as the lead singer of the band. Toby is concerned about a woman who has just lost her son. Helen's real estate job gets steamy and she may ruin her chances of staying in the profession. Matt and Natalie have an accidental kiss, which changes the situation entirely. Hugh helps Ellie overcome her fear of being alone.
Episode 20
Simon Westlake messes in Jack's patch by luring Rusty away with daily treats of prime porterhouse steak and becoming interested in Helen when he asks her to show him some real estate, neither of which Jack likes. When Simon suggests a friendly game of football between the Bull Bar Bulls and the Baa Bar Rams to Jack, he accepts the challenge, but the Rams have to deal with a secret agenda.
Episode 21
Jack reacquaints himself with the joys of meditation in a makeshift sweat lodge and is shown a tantalising glimpse of his future: an abandoned mine shaft, a skeleton in a Hawaiian shirt, and a glorious reef of gold in a bed of quartz. Jess' guilt about sleeping with Toby the night before her engagement to Darren resurfaces. Jack finds himself an unwilling participant in a love triangle when finds himself reunited with a feuding couple. As events in his life begin to resemble those in his vision, Jack realises what he saw may have been a premonition of his death. Matt's pride won't allow him to lose the hospital's charity fun run to Nat. Ellie has a decision to make about her future in the Alice when she receives a job offer in Germany.
Episode 22
Helen must face reality when a Patrick look-a-like arrives in town. David Blake is an insurance agent who is in search of a death beneficiary known only as "trousers". Intrigued by the new arrival, Helen offers to help and the two spend the perfect day together. Toby sets his sights on a new vehicle and is eager to expand the business but Michael, after surviving a near-death experience, abruptly quits his job.