The fifth season of Packed to the Rafters, an Australian drama television series premiered on 17 April 2012 on the Seven Network.

The Seven network put the series on hiatus again on June 19, 2012, after 10 episodes, despite previously promising that viewers would see a full season run.

[2] Hugh Sheridan, who played Ben Rafter, filmed his final scenes for the fifth season in February 2012, before leaving the show.

Emma moves to claim a bigger place in Ben's life and she's relieved when he takes off his wedding ring.

The date gets off to a rocky start when Ted arrives at the wrong venue, however Ben is to the rescue, which leaves Emma smitten.

Matt decides to play a cruel joke on Coby and Jake by giving them both an anonymous Valentine's Day card.

Julie meets up with Adam after he says they need to discuss work, however she finds herself confiding in him about her personal problems and their relationships begins to move in a romantic direction.

Carbo and Retta are filled with constant expressions of affection, permanently reminding him of Emma's unreturned 'I love you'.

Feeling edged out of the world they are creating, Emma suggests that the two of them get out of town for a few days, a large step forward in their relationship for Ben.

With a niggling feeling of guilt, Julie tells Dave about Adam's visit for a late-night drink, stopping short of sharing her growing attraction to her boss.

He's sick of having to hide the real reason behind their squabbles from Ben and implores them to move on before they have to explain everything to their son.

Donna, who is having trouble with Ben and Emma's news, urges Ted to have an Alzheimer's test, or at least tell Julie.

Narrated by Julie Rafter Jake is settling into a comfortable, productive routine with Sian when a familiar whirlwind blusters back into his life... Alex.

Turfed from his room in light of Alex's reappearance, Matt gratefully takes up Julie's offer of a spare bed.

Dave is concerned Matt will become a freeloading mainstay at their house, but Julie, trying to fill the void left by her absent children, sells him on the idea.

Meanwhile, Ben's absence is being acutely felt by Emma, but her sadness is momentarily eclipsed by her joy at the reappearance of her father, Mark, who is still smarting from a breakup of his own.

Carbo too is missing Ben when cousin Voula turns up on their doorstep, having heard about the now-vacant room.

Rita discovers that honesty is the best policy when dealing with new housemate Voula but it is a difficult concept for Carbo to learn.

When he suffers a mild stroke and witnesses how badly the incident affects Julie and Dave, he resolves to keep the tests to himself.

Donna takes up pottery and begins flirting with Gary, a man from her OCD support group.

Dave is riding a heady rush of his own when Duncan offers the Rafter Electrical team a big contract.

But celebratory drinks take a sour turn, and Frankie's forced to rebuff a drunken pass.

Meanwhile, Frankie's not impressed with Coby's seeming lack of maturity, starting with his inability to let go of his rage over Duncan's pass at her.

Carbo, Retta and Emma are also feeling the strain as they launch their new venture as an urban garden business.

After the wet weather leads to a less than bustling first day of business, Retta struggles to maintain a positive face at the opening drinks.

Ted takes Cooper and Julie to an aged care facility, where he plans to move into, but at the last minute he changes his mind.

Julie gets a phone call from Nathan, who tells his mother that Saskia gave birth to a baby boy three weeks premature.

Coby is finding it hard to adjust to life in Remand, hiding his pain behind a veneer of black humour.