The earth rumbled, and 10 seconds later a plume of dust swirled where the Liddell power station stacks had stood for more than half a century.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Under a gloomy sky, a series of detonations brought down the 170-metre tall structures just before 11am.
The detonation time was pushed back by 90 minutes due to a lack of wind at the decommissioned power station near Muswellbrook in the NSW Hunter Region.
Technically, the project went off without a hitch. The southern stack fell to the north-east and the north stack fell to the south-east.
Within 10 seconds it was all over.
"It went perfectly," AGL's manager of transition Brad Williams said.
Margaret and David Channon were among a select group that was invited to witness the historic event from the shores of Lake Liddell.
"It's bittersweet; it's sad to see them go. I'm thinking about all of the good memories that we enjoyed over the years. All of the people that worked there; some of the legends that have passed," Ms Channon said.
"Today had to happen. To be honest I didn't expect to last as long as it did."
Mr Channon said he hoped the demolition of the stacks would help Muswellbrook to evolve.
"It's going to be like digging up the garden. Hopefully something new evolves after the loss of the power station, which has been invaluable for so many years," he said.
Muswellbrook mayor Jeff Drayton said Liddell and its stacks had been an integral part of the community.
"It's certainly a sad day," he said.
"When you were heading home and you reached those stacks you knew you were nearly home.
"There wouldn't be too many in our community who haven't had something to do with Liddell - their parents, their children or they know someone who has worked there."
Amid the sadness, there was also optimism for the future of Muswellbrook.
"I'm very optimistic about the future. We want to get this energy hub up and running so it will employ more people than the power station ever did. I hope it happens in my time," Ms Channon said.
"If we can get something going up here hopefully it will bring more people from Newcastle up to Muswellbrook."
Access to Liddell and the surrounding area was locked down earlier in the morning.
A 600-metre exclusion zone was set up around the stacks.
About 70 people remained on site including 20 sentries, the blast and demolition crews and regulators.
When the time came, the shotfirer sent an encrypted signal to the central control centre, which detonated half a tonne of explosives.
Bayswater power station operated as normal during the demotion.
Matthew Kelly
In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education.
He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Weekdays
The Echidna
Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more.
