Falling in Love with New Zealand

Maddison Brown, who plays cardiac nurse Jo Langham on Home and Away, has discovered her own slice of paradise outside of Summer Bay. The actress, who starred in The Kettering Incident and the Dynasty reboot, has been spending plenty of time in New Zealand with her fiancé, Kiwi actor Simon Mead (The Gone).

“I love New Zealand,” she shared, adding that she and Mead have explored everything from the Bay of Islands to the Bay of Plenty, and they “absolutely love Queenstown.” Brown revealed she’ll even be spending Christmas across the Tasman this year, cheerfully adding: “Meri Kirihimete!”

Palm Beach Perks

Of course, Sydney’s Palm Beach — the iconic filming location for Home and Away — still holds its own magic. “I was just shooting at the beach today. Such a beautiful day, a beautiful pod of dolphins went by in the water. I just love being up at Palm Beach. Every time I’m like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this is our office’.”

For Brown, joining the long-running soap is still surreal. “It doesn’t get more iconic than Home and Away. Every time I see Ray Meagher [Alf Stewart] at work, I think, ‘I can’t believe this is my life’. I grew up watching this show — it all feels so surreal still. I’ll never get used to it.”

Behind the Scenes Joy

While her on-screen alter ego Jo faces family turmoil, Brown says real-life filming has been nothing but a joy. “I’m having truly the best time. Everyone in the cast is such a joy to work with. It just means the world to me that I can be in Sydney, working with such incredible people.”

Her on-screen family has also become a true support network. Working closely with Jeremy Lindsay Taylor (David) and Sophea Pennington (Lacey), Brown says their bond feels real. “Jeremy feels like a real father figure for Sophea and I. We just love him. I love my little Langham family — honestly, we couldn’t have gotten more lucky with each other.”

Brown, who has two sisters in real life, says she and Pennington have developed a genuine “sisterly dynamic” off screen as well. “We have so much fun together. I really love seeing Jo and Lacey become closer. Obviously, they’ve had tough things to work through, but it’s really sweet watching them become more friendly to each other.”

Jo’s Painful Journey

On-screen, Jo’s storylines are steeped in trauma and family conflict. Haunted by her mother Kristina’s fatal car accident — which occurred while Jo was behind the wheel — she has faced both guilt and her sister Lacey’s blame. Their father, David, followed Lacey to the Bay in hopes of reuniting them, but reconciliation has been difficult.

Now, Jo is undergoing hypnotherapy to recover lost memories of the accident and uncover the truth of what really happened that day. Brown explains: “Jo’s desire to heal and bring her family back together is what drives her. She’s just so determined to have Lacey back in her life.”

A Bright Future

Whether at Palm Beach or Queenstown, Maddison Brown is relishing both her personal and professional life. With her Home and Away character finally finding a way forward, and her own happiness shining through, it’s clear that for Brown, life really is a beach.