1980s

The 1980s turned every setting to full. Fashion was stridently bright, hair was high, wealth was worshipped, music became big business. Dream couples – Charles and Diana, Scott and Charlene – won the nation’s hearts, and Torvill and Dean skated across small screens. The new VHS tapes captured an explosion of TV shows – comedy, cooking, celebrity interviews – while Walkmanstook the latest hits on the go. As Matilda the Kangaroo tipped audiences a wink at the opening of the Commonwealth Games, Australia formed a new sense of itself on the world stage and celebrated the Bicentennial with jingoistic gusto.

Please be advised that this page contains names, images and voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.