Perth-raised actor Kirsty Marillier makes her Home and Away debut as Rose Delaney

Watch out Summer Bay — there’s a new sheriff in town.

Perth-raised actor Kirsty Marillier will make her debut on Home and Away on Monday night, as police officer Rose Delaney.

For astute fans of the Channel 7 show, your eyes are not deceiving you: the newcomer does have the same last name as soon-to-be-departed series regular Jasmine Delaney, played by Sam Frost.

Rose and her on-screen brother Xander, played by Chris Hemsworth’s cousin Luke Van Os, arrive in the bay after recently discovering they have a half-sister — Jasmine.

“They do come with the sole intent to connect with her,” Marillier told The West Australian.

But don’t let Rose’s sincerity fool you, the 31-year-old assures fans she is a “firecracker”.

“There’s plenty of room for drama, for joy, the ebbs and flows of any new relationship, which is always going to be tricky,” she said.

“I think she’s (Rose) funny. She’s quite dry and quick witted, a bit of a firecracker but also deeply wants to do the right thing and she’s very loyal to her brother, which I think is also a beautiful trait.

“She’s really passionate about her job ... I think that it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out in the bay. What happens as this new cop comes to town?”

Marillier and her family moved to Perth when she was 10 years old and she said some of her earliest memories of Australia were of watching Home and Away.

“I remember when I immigrated from South Africa with my family, I started watching when I was like 11,” she said.

“I’m very proud of my South African heritage and I really do feel connected to Australia in a big way ... growing up in Perth and going through high school.”

It was at Leeming Senior High School that a young Marillier discovered her love of performing, before she went on to study acting at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

She said “some of the best years of my life” were at the acclaimed school, which has seen stars including Hugh Jackman, Lucy Durack and Tim Minchin come through its doors.

“I always wanted to go to WAAPA,” Marillier said. “I auditioned three times to get in. That was a dream of mine from high school, so it was really nice to fulfil that dream and follow it through. I felt like I really became the actor I wanted to be while I was at that school, so I’m a big believer in that place.”

Marillier filmed a guest appearance on the iconic Australian soap in 2018; it was “maybe one or two days” but it was enough for her to develop a taste for the salty air of Palm Beach, where it is shot. She auditioned a few times over the years since, before landing the role as series regular, Rose.

“As an actor, I think the ability to work on something full time is a gift,” she said.

“The show itself has just done so much for so many people in this industry. But also it’s just like a stakeholder in Australian TV. I think that Home and Away is a really valuable show.

“It is just really exciting to be a part of this new wave of diversity and variation on our screens to show what Australia actually is like.”