Billy doesn't like the bush. Trevor tries to teach him bush lore but he's not interested. Tom and Trevor have rigged up a "flying fox" to ferry the kids across the water hole but Billy chooses to to walk around the long way and Tom is forced to go with him. The puppies are born but the mother is unable to nurse them for long because of a parathyroid problem -- Esme has to feed them formula by hand. Darcy goes with Bernice to Burrigan for surgery to remove the lesions. They await the results with trepidation but Bernice gets the all clear. The bush trekkers end up at a cave, where Trevor tries to teach them more bush lore. Later on they camp out elsewhere. Billy lost the batteries for the flashlight at the cave and decides to go back to get them. Gemma goes with him. When they reach the cave, Gemma is bitten by a spider.

The owner of the dog Hugo found finally contact him and Esme forces him to give the reward money to Anna for her services. A search party is put together when Trevor and Tom discover that Gemma and Billy are missing. During the search, Trevor comes across the missing kids. Unfortunately, he falls down a cliff and breaks his leg. His radio is broken so Billy decides to go for help himself. He leaves a trail of torn hankerchief cloth to mark his trail. Tom and Anna come across this trail and it leads them to the cave. They radio for help and Harry comes to look after Trevor and Gemma. Tom continues to search for Billy. He sees Billy travel across the water in the "flying fox" and radios ahead to Frank so that they expect him. Trevor and Gemma are taken to the hospital and treated.

A new telephone exchange is being installed in the Valley (with direct-dial telephones), putting Bev out of a job. She doesn't take it well. After being driven from the exchange, she holes up in the ladies' loo at the club with her bagpipes. Terence has a new pager, which he wants to tinker with. Kate is attracted to Capt. Alex Neil, a very handsome ulcer patient at the hospital. She thinks he's an army captain but he's really in the Salvation Army...she's a little upset when she finds out. Frank gets Bev to become the new taxi driver.