Those of us from the 1980s probably don’t remember them as “awesome”, but that’s how the decade that gave us fluoro, big hair, shoulder pads on women’s clothes, and new wave music is being remembered in a new exhibition at the Western Plains Cultural Centre (WPCC).

Dubbo’s history comes alive in a series of never-before local images for the “Awesome 80s” photo-essay that has been internally curated by Council’s Local Studies Officer, Simone Taylor. The exhibition highlights a collection of photographs – primarily from the Marion Dormer collection – that were recently discovered and have never been publicly displayed, Simone revealed.

“All the photographs in the collection date from the 1980s and present a very intimate snapshot of Dubbo from this time,” Simone explained

“Awesome 80s encourages memories of Dubbo from that decade, many of the places and events captured in this collection are still remarkably recognisable today,” she added.

The exhibition, Simone believes, will be a trip down memory lane from a period when the Orana became a central part of a booming central west economy.

“For those who grew up in Dubbo, this exhibition will help you relive a time when Macquarie Street was wide and busy enough to require a traffic light at the pedestrian crossing,” Simone said.

“This exhibition is a nostalgic look at Dubbo but also explores how Dubbo has changed and expanded from a rural community into the thriving regional city we have today,” she concluded.

The images featured in the exhibition are also be available for viewing on the “Reveal” Collection website which makes local heritage and art items accessible to the public.

The free exhibition will feature in the museum exhibition space until February and is being supported by Create NSW.