Home and Away‘s Xander Delaney waved goodbye to Summer Bay in Wednesday’s episode in Australia.

The barman headed off to Melbourne to take on a new career opportunity after more than two years in the Bay.

In recent months, Xander has appeared keen to broaden his horizons by moving into the world of business.

He initially wanted to buy into Salt following the tragic death of Felicity Newman, but when that option was closed to him, he enrolled on a business course instead.

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This week, Xander revealed that he needed to take on an internship as part of his course and he asked his boss Mackenzie Booth if she could pull some strings with her contacts.

Mackenzie managed to get Xander signed up for a six-week stint at a hotel in Melbourne, but the timings meant that he’d have to leave as quickly as possible.

Wednesday’s episode saw Xander say goodbye to Mackenzie, his sister Rose Delaney and girlfriend Dana Matheson after making the arrangements.

Xander promised that he’d be back after his month and a half away, but it’s thought that he may have left for good.

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Earlier this year, fans began to suspect that Luke Van Os – who played Xander – had left Home and Away due to his ongoing absence from location shoots at Palm Beach, where the show is filmed. Fans are often able to keep track of comings and goings among the cast due to the public nature of the show’s filming.

Luke has also spent the past few months keeping fans updated on Instagram as he’s currently away travelling.

Last week, Home and Away had released an intriguing trailer in Australia teasing an exit for one character, warning that “a loved friend will leave the Bay”.

Xander was showcased as a possibility in the promo, while Theo, Dana, Kirby, Tane and Eden also featured prominently as red herrings.

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The character’s final scene saw him sharing some touching final moments with Dana and Rose. Dana was struck by the realisation that Xander had told her that he loved her for the first time, just as he was leaving.

With Xander focusing on his career, could new opportunities be the reason that his departure becomes a permanent one?