After Eve suffers psychological problems and Ken descends into alcoholism, the children are placed in foster care.

Hayley quickly befriends Sam Marshall (Ryan Clark) and they begin to graffiti tag various areas in the Bay.

While out walking one day, the couple are taken hostage by a drifter named Murray (Scott Major) who held up the diner.

Hayley and Sam continue tagging until their friend Brian Matthews (Scott Swalwell) dies in a fall.

Hayley soon finds herself in a love triangle with Sam and the newly arrived Mitch McColl (Cameron Welsh).

Soon after Nick rejoins the family and things appear to be going well until Ken is killed when a car he is working on, crushes him after a jack slips.

After failing Year 12 due to the stress of Ken's death, Hayley decides to repeat and Noah joins her.

School principal Donald Fisher (Norman Coburn) asks her to do the illustrations for his Children's book Letter to Byron dedicated to his late son.

Their marriage is cut short when Noah is shot dead in an armed siege with Sarah Lewis (Luisa Hastings-Edge), leaving Hayley widowed.

Hayley finds herself in a love triangle with Scott Hunter (Kip Gamblin) and Kim Hyde (Chris Hemsworth).

Described by The Sun-Herald's Scott Ellis and Tom Findlay as one of the "best-loved characters in Australian drama",[4] Cartwright won the 2005 Logie Award for Most Popular Actress for her portrayal of Hayley.

"[6] James Joyce of the Newcastle Herald dubbed Hayley "Summer Bay's resident angelic blonde".

[7] Rachel Browne from The Sun-Herald described the character as "trouble-prone",[8] while Tony Davis of The Sydney Morning Herald called her "an artistic young widow who has overcome a graffiti problem".

[10] He commented: "while she's still in the hospital get-up she's now a red-head, with a totally different nose, and... you want to leap up and shout at the telly, 'she's an imposter, mate, don't get sucked in, she's up to no good.'