A decade on from a weekend which has been etched into Newcastle history, residents can experience for themselves what it was like to be part of the Pasha Storm rescue.
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Most people would remember what they were doing on June 8, 2007, when a stricken bulk carrier got wedged on Nobbys reef and threatened to break apart and storms lashed the Hunter, taking nine lives in total.
Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service and Newcastle lifeguards worked tirelessly to get 22 people from the vessel to shore in windswept conditions and rough surf.
The drama can be relived through virtual reality during Remembering the Pasha Storm exhibition, on at Newcastle Regional Museum until June 11.
Visitors to the museum can see the storm event through the eyes of the rescue crews on Nobbys Beach and in the Westpac Rescue Helicopter, as a crew member on the Pasha Bulker or caught in the rising flood waters inundating Newcastle West.
The experience was created by local company Virtual Perspective with funding from Newcastle's Smart City initiative, and is only available to experience between 1pm-3pm on weekdays and 11am-1pm on the weekend.
The exhibition also features a memory wall for visitors to leave their own recollections and experiences from the June 2007 storm.
It also examines why the storm was so devastating.
"There were so many heroes from the rescue operations at Nobbys and across flooded suburbs and I'm sure there are still many untold stories,” Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said at the exhibition launch.
"We are asking people to tell stories of that time or bring in prints of photos, name those who were lost and remember them to ensure we fully capture the history of that epic weather event."
