There were actually subtle explanations for these characters leaving -- all built into season 3. You'll see 'em if you go back and watch the last few episodes of season 3 carefully:
Gabrielle (Sybilla Budd): Was elected to a government/union job at the end of Season 3, which meant that she'd have to leave Melbourne for, presumably, the capital of Australia (Canberra). Since several months or more typically pass in-between each season of "Secret Life of Us" (with each season premiere usually referencing story/events that happened between seasons "off screen"), it made sense that Gabrielle's character had already moved by the time Season 4 started -- although it was a little odd that no one ever mentioned her name again and she never made a cameo, visit, or phone call in Season 4.
Tidy (Dan Spielman): Having finally expressed his love to Gabrielle at the end of Season 4, Tidy presumably moved with her to Canberra before the events of Season 4 began.
Richie (Spencer McLaren): Richie's disappearance is a little more mysterious, since he was still connected to the main characters in Season 3, even after he'd moved out of the apartment building that the show focuses on. However, since Richie's closest friends were Miranda and Will -- both of whom had long since left the show -- and his career was causing him to outgrow his old pals and requiring him to travel more, it makes sense that by the time Season 4 starts, he's long gone. When he decides to move out of Simon's apartment in Season 3, I think that's meant to be him breaking the final ties he has with the other "Secret Life of Us" characters. Again, though, it's odd that his storyline isn't tied up or given a last hurrah in Season 4; in earlier seasons, the show was much better about giving the characters dramatic and final going-away episodes and/or bringing them back for catch-up cameo's that emphasize that they're going away for good, such as the episodes where Miranda, Will, Alex (Claudia Karvan), and Rex (Vince Colossimo) move away or express plans of moving away/getting married/getting on with their lives.
George (Gigi Edgely): Got a new job in Sydney and moved away, near the end of Season 3. She'd never seemed particularly happy in Melbourne, so it wasn't too surprising that she didn't return in Season 4.
Chloe (Nina Lau): The most surprising and unexplained character disappearance -- so much time was spent setting her up as a major new character during Season 3, it seemed very strange when she was long-gone and never-mentioned in Season 4. However, Season 3 showed that Chloe disliked her roommate Christian Hayden's (Michael Dorman) girlfriend Talia (Pia Miranda). Although Chloe was a lesbian, there were hints that she was falling for Christian and that he'd need to choose between her and Talia. When Season 4 starts with Chloe gone and Talia constantly around the house, it's meant to show that Talia won out (although she's dumped a few episodes later). Still, it's weird that this love triangle wasn't pursued in Season 4 and that Chloe's moving out is never referenced. But her character wasn't very close with any of the other remaining characters, so it's logical that she never visits/cameo's again once she's gone.
The Dismal/Woeful Season 4: Although Season 4 starts off badly -- with many much-loved characters gone without a trace and the new characters being introduced as unlikable jerks, fiends, and slobs -- the season definitely gets way better as it goes along. It's eventually revealed that the new characters are far more interesting, complex, funny, disturbed, and lovable than they first appeared. In fact, once Season 4 gets going, hitting full speed, it's almost every bit as good as seasons 2 and 3 (season 1 is still the best, IMHO; and once Alex and Will left the show the acting was never quite up to the same level of dramatic excellence).
For instance, new character Stuart 'Stu' Woodcock (Stephen Curry, of "Frontline" fame) is ingenious: Funny, heartbreaking, endearingly pathetic, and, in the end, a hard-scrabble romantic. And Nikki Mantel (Anna Torv), Lucy Beckwith (Alexandra Schepisi), and Bree Sanzaro (Brooke Harmon) are major babes with balls, twisted up with emotional issues. Subplots with bad-ass Rob (the great Ben Mendelsohn) and charming Corey Mailins (Aaron Pedersen) spice things up. And so on -- it really turns out to be a great season that most people simply didn't give the chance it deserves.
Also, for fans of the early "Secret Life" seasons, watching Season 4 is important if only to finally see the conclusion of many long-running story arcs -- Evan and Kelly at last growing up emotionally, finding love, and moving out being chief among the plot developments, since the show logically has to end once it's two narrators have left.
And yet, there are some aspects of Season 4 that are hard to swallow: Christian's character disappears completely midway through the season after just one little fight with his new roommate (none of the other characters seem to even blink when their best-buddy moves out of the building in five-seconds-flat without warning, without so much as a decent goodbye). Evan's character is never seen or heard from again after he moves out of the apartment building two-thirds of the way through the season, even though he's still living in Melbourne and had made many promises to his friends that he'd still be around. And Kelly unceremoniously dumps her professor-boyfriend that had been built up for a season-and-a-half as a major new character (never to be seen again once dumped by the Kelster).
Luckily the new plot-threads being introduced are always good enough to make you quickly forget about the characters being lost; but if you allow yourself to think about it for even a few seconds, you'll start to suspect that the world of "The Secret Life of Us" is inhabited by a serial killer that's quietly whacking off characters -- or else these characters are ridiculously cold-hearted and unforgiving when it comes to their buddies moving out of their flats. But then again, life is often like that... when friends are out of site, they're out of mind.
For all its faults, the full four-season run of "The Secret Life of Us" is still leagues above 95% of other TV dramadies from around the world, in terms of inventive plotting, complex juggling of ensemble performances and emotional tone, clever dialog, and giving a sense of true place and time (characters exist in a well-developed, visceral world were friends come and go, grow up and screw up, and often fight but only sometimes make up).
For more info, check out the episode-by-episode plot summaries here:
http://www.tv.com/the-secret-life-of-us/show/1540/summary.html
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