Packed to the Rafters centres around Dave and Julie Rafter and their three children Rachel, Ben and Nathan. On the eve of their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary the couple thinks that they are finally about to have the house to themselves. But home is a very welcome refuge for their children and when unforeseen problems loom, they return like a boomerang.
The episode is focused around the 25th wedding anniversary of Julie and Dave, as their last child at home moves out and they look forward to a new life together, as empty-nesters.
Dave processes the reality of sudden unemployment and a house that has been unexpectedly inundated with family members.
Ben deals with the repercussions of his move next door and the shift in household dynamics as their new house-mate Melissa joins them there.
During a sleepless night Nathan reflects on his life and his relationship with Sammy.
Julie is starting to feel very much the financial strain of the family's new living arrangements.
In the aftermath of the sex video Rachel tells the story of how she met, fell in love and eventually left Daniel.
Despite Nathan's attempts to hide their invitation the Rafters attend a party at the Westaways'.
Ben faces up to his true feelings for Melissa after their one night stand, just as Carbo sparks a surprising friendship with Chrissy.
Tormented by the sudden endless replays on the radio of "Suburban Boy", the hit song Dave co-wrote many moons ago but never received credit nor remuneration for.
Rachel faces the very scary possibility that she might be pregnant – with Daniel the only possible father
Julie spontaneously decides to drag her seemingly exhausted and dispirited family away for a restorative weekend
Struggling with the loneliness of the Christmas season and encouraged to embrace life by Louise's 'letter to the future' Ted attends a meeting of Friend Finders.
A few days into the new year Dave's dreading his upcoming birthday.
Julie struggles to deal with the secrets her family – and she herself - are keeping
Ben, still dealing with the trauma of being held up, is critical of Nathan when his lack of concentration during a cricket match costs Dave his first ever century
Rachel becomes a woman on a mission as she immerses herself in a an autobiographical novel – An Angel At My Table
Dave's fatherly instincts are in overdrive when he learns that the new man in Rachel's life is Rob "Dumbo" Dunstan an old cricket chum of his.
Ben deals with the consequences of his one night stand with Kat - he has to tell Melissa.
The moon is nearly full and there's weirdness in the air. Neighbours are at war, Ben begs the moon goddess for five minutes with Melissa.
Whilst still in denial about menopause Julie concedes the loss of her mothering instincts as she struggles to give advice to her family and friends
On the morning of the anniversary of their marriage and Louise's death, Nathan and Sammy reunite.
Julie and Dave wrestle with the news that Julie is pregnant – do they want to keep the baby or not?
Viewed through Julie's eyes, this episode explores the theme of perception and self-perception.
Narrated from the perspective of Dave, the episode deals with Dave's struggle to deal with a series of seeming betrayals in his life.
Narrated from the perspective of Rachel, tonight's episode deals with the notions of the perfect list.
The birth of Julie's fourth child Ruby forces her to consider the concept of new life being like a blank page.
Julie's confidence as a mum takes a beating when baby Ruby resists Julie's attempts to breastfeed.
With all seemingly at peace in the Rafter world, Dave begins to wrestle with the dilemma of whether to tell Chel that her first love, his father Tom, is still alive
It's been three months since Ben and Nathan left on their road trip around Australia. Bearded and tanned, Ben returns without Nathan and smooths over his family's concern with a plausible excuse.
As Council Clean-Up Days looms Dave gets the clean-out bug. He's distracted, however, by Nathan's return from the big road trip.
Rachel wrestles with the potentially relationship-wrecking pitfalls of getting everything you want — particularly when truth is number one on the wish-list.
Julie's about to turn another year older and life seems good. The new, improved Rafters Electrical is up and running.
Explores how our expectations, both of ourselves and others, help us make sense of the world – when those expectations are met, that is.
With Valentine's Day looming, Ben is increasingly aware of the power of words, especially those three little ones, which neither he nor Emma has said yet.
Julie narrates, as she muses on high hopes. Hers are especially lofty at the moment because Nathan is moving back to Australia.
Nathan will do anything to get his wife and son to Australia as soon as possible. All he needs is a job and a home. Simple, right? Guess again.
Easy-going Dave has his limits put to the test – and begins to suspect his good nature is being taken advantage of.
Complete episode guide for Packed to the Rafters with detailed information about every season and episode including air dates, summaries, ratings, and streaming availability in United States.
This episode guide is organized by seasons, making it easy to track your viewing progress or find specific episodes. Use the episode information to plan your binge-watching sessions or catch up on missed episodes.
The baton of narration passes to Nathan as he ponders his childhood inability at Christmas-time to resist scrabbling around on top of his parents' wardrobe for presents.
It's a tense early morning for Julie and Dave as they attend the hospital for an important ultrasound.
The days when Ted was so depressed over his wife's death, with little will to go on living, have become a faint memory.
Sammy deals with the notion of things lost and found. In her case, realizing she has a strong voice and an unconditional place in the Rafter family.
What is in a name? Plenty. For many, your name brands you at birth. It announces the sort of person you'll become and helps define your place in the world.
Ben takes us through a list of some things in life a person should always be spared from seeing.1.Their mother naked 2.Their dad crying 3. A long and significant pause following a heartfelt marriage proposal.
Ben takes us through a list of some things in life a person should always be spared from seeing.
When Jake appears, fit and well and ready to go back to work, both he and Rachel are more than eager to resume their relationship.
Ben considers the strength of his friendship with Carbo – just when Carbo needs him most. Carbo has never been good at seeing things coming out of left field.
With Nathan acting as our narrator, tonight's episode deals with the male sexual urge – and whether men can choose or control their fantasies.
Julie is six months pregnant. As the Rafters prepare to spring a surprise birthday party on Chel, Julie ponders the power of motherhood
Dave is determined to give Ben and Melissa the engagement party that he and Julie never had.
Ted deals with the difficulties in fixing relationships that are broken, and Ted's attempts to repair the emotional damage to his family after last week's explosive events.
A no-frills, down-vibe farewell from Barrett's confirms to Julie that she's really not going to miss work.
Rachel muses on the concept of ‘space junk' in the universe, junk which can come crashing down and upset the perfect balance of the home planet.
Ben begins to bow under the pressure as his wedding day fast approaches, thanks to a chance meeting with Kat and the arrival of Melissa's overbearing parents.
Julie is home from hospital, after collapsing at Ben and Mel's wedding, on the proviso she remains in bed and rests.
Nathan has decided he has no possible job options left. But in a way that's liberating – he's free to consider impossible options
Julie faces her greatest challenge yet – the birth of her fourth and final child without husband Dave at her side.
Ben is plagued with unexpected doubts about his ability in the sack, while a miscommunication between Dave and Julie in the bedroom department sends her into a frenzy of frustration.
Ted struggles with feelings of worthlessness when, returning home from a movie, he and Chel are attacked by a gang of teenage girls.
Rachel is forced to deal with the fallout when Alex reacts badly to the many changes that have taken place in the Barton household in his absence.
Julie has been uncharacteristically disconnected from the daily ups and downs of her family, focusing entirely on baby Ruby.
Nathan is forced to question his motives for wanting to donate a kidney, triggering a crisis of confidence.
Someone's watching the Rafter house — and the surprise culprit leads to Dave and Nathan meeting Dave's dad Tom in prison for the first time.
Ben is forced to step outside his comfort zone when a moral stand clashes with workplace politics.
Rachel rides the ups and downs of happiness, struggling to find it in the frenetic pace of life.
Nathan faces a life-changing moment of truth — the operation to donate a kidney to beloved grandmother Chel.
Julie explores the principle of "live and let live" as she and others struggle to implement the philosophy in various areas of their lives.
In rapid succession, Dave's life teaches him that no human ever has total control of things — and his easy going ability to roll with the punches starts to fail him.
When Melissa feels queasy during dinner, Ben immediately assumes she is pregnant and is beside himself with excitement.
Rachel's relationship with Jake is pushed to breaking point when her work and personal lives collide.
Ted returns with renewed spark from a rejuvenating break, only to find all is not well with his family.
A wild night in Kings Cross teaches Nathan not to judge a book by its cover. Meanwhile, Carbo is making big plans for his proposal to Retta, but Ben is determined to intervene.
Rachel takes a crash course in remembering to breathe as she juggles a toxic workplace and an estranged boyfriend.
Newly unemployed Rachel is seeing the world in a new light - as her oyster. But first what she'd love more than anything is a holiday with Jake.
Julie and Dave struggle to help their family rebuild their lives in the aftermath of the devastating tragedy as additional support comes from unlikely quarters.
With Christmas and Ruby's first birthday fast approaching, Dave searches for the words to put himself and his family back on track.
The aftermath of Jake's ill-fated rugby weekend is fully felt as Julie realizes how much perception and misperception can affect the lives of her family and friends.
Nathan examines what it means to be free as he receives potentially upsetting news — his divorce from Sammy is final.
Ben lends a helping hand to Nathan's web site when he realizes the 'Parts Exchange' domain name runs as 'Part Sex Change.' Nathan doesn't understand the barrage of dodgy emails.
After Rachel tearfully says farewell to her family and heads overseas, Jake follows in pursuit of her.
Dave relishes having a relationship with his recently paroled father; Coby and Jake are surprised by Alex's sudden reappearance from New Zealand.
Ted is convinced that Tom is sneaking off to spend time with a lady friend instead of job hunting. Ben continues to take baby-steps towards rebuilding his life.
Julie steps out of her comfort zone and attends a burlesque dance class with new friend Donna; Ted avoids houseguest Tom; Nathan finds himself in a tricky predicament.
Grace tells her sons Jake and Alex that she's engaged, and both boys are happy for her until they find out that she has never actually divorced their father.
Julie's new friendship with Donna is tested when she discovers that Donna suffers from Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Dave's successful friend Warney offers him a shot at the contract for a big office rewiring job. But blinded by ambition, Dave ignores the fact that he doesn't have a hope of getting the job done in time.
Ben opens up to Emma about Melissa's death, and the cathartic experience enables him to finally get some closure.
Ben initiates a night on the town with the boys, and everyone is impressed by the up-market nightclub he takes them to.
Everybody is up in arms about Tom's disappearance with the insurance money.
Julie comes into contact with Matt Jennings, an affable and flirtatious taxi driver. Little does she know, that Matt is actually Tom's other son — Dave's half-brother.
Dave's increasingly exhausted as the demands of his new job take their toll, and for the first time in his life he forgets his anniversary.
Ted is trying to find the new purpose in his life. He decides to do all the things he's always wanted to do, but has never had the time: home-brewing, volunteer work, finding a job — even skydiving.
Dave and Julie discover how one inexplicable chain of events can almost end in disaster.
When Ben and Retta discover Carbo sleepwalking, they decide enough is enough — he's got to tell his parents he's already married before he hurts himself!
Ben and Emma are both nervously looking forward to their first date. When Carbo and Retta return from the honeymoon from hell, Ben and Emma head out to a restaurant and enjoy a perfect evening.
Coby's loving life at the moment – there's a spring in his step and a twinkle in his eye not common in one so prone to mopery.
Poor judgment leads several of our characters astray.
Dave finds himself having an unwanted erotic dream about Julie and her boss Adam and begins to fret about his secret fears coming up to the surface.
Ben finds himself unhappily disengaged from his home-life and his work.
As Julie and Dave find themselves undergoing a period of squabbling, Julie muses on the unwritten rules of relationships.
Dave fantasizes that Julie takes the news of his kiss with Frankie at the conference quite well, but in reality he knows it's not going to be that easy.
Tension remains high in the Rafter house as Julie and Dave struggle to forgive each other and Ted, caught in the middle, is feeling the strain.
For Ben it finally feels like the right time to move on from Mel and start a new chapter with Emma.
Julie muses on the nature of life's surprises when she receives two big ones – the unexpected return of Nathan, as well as the sudden departure of Ben.
Jake is settling into a comfortable, productive routine with Sian when a familiar whirlwind blusters back into his life.
Dave bets Julie that she can't refrain from giving advice. For "mother-to-all" Julie, that's of course impossible.
In light of his ongoing tests, Ted isn't sure whether he should reveal his health concerns to his family.
Julie is in denial about Ted's health and Dave carefully voices his concerns but Julie doesn't want to discuss it.
Julie feels at odds with both Ted and Dave over the severity of Ted's condition.
Frankie and Coby are falling in love. Nothing can shake Coby's good mood as he gingerly breaks into Frankie's house with a bunch of flowers.
Dave is determined to take his business to the next level, beginning with his new contract with Duncan.
Given the circumstances with Coby, Dave and Julie try to end their business dealings with Duncan but he holds them to their contract.
Hours have passed since Coby took off and he's not answering his phone.
As Dave and Julie's 30th wedding anniversary approaches, thoughts naturally turn to family and history.
After months of putting her own needs on hold to take care of her family, Julie is starting to feel the strain
Nathan heads to London, desperate to find out why his wife Saskia never arrived in Sydney
Ted continues to drift between the past and present
Julie finds herself dealing with the demands of a toddler and caring for Ted.
Dave's enduring belief that nothing is beyond repair is put to the test.
When a room at their preferred nursing home comes up, Julie and Dave raise the difficult topic with Ted.
It's a matter of head versus heart as Julie and Dave wrestle with their decision to sell their beloved family home.
Julie and Dave knuckle down to the stressful task of buying a house in Sydney on a tight budget.
The Rafters begin the emotional task of packing up their beloved family home.