The earth rumbled, and the giant chimneys began to lean forward. Ten seconds later a plume of dust was all that remained from where the Liddell power station stacks had stood for more than half a century.
Under a gloomy sky, a series of precision 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.
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.
"It went perfectly," AGL's manager of transition Brad Williams said moments after the stacks had fallen.
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."
AGL chief operations and construction officer Matthew Currie said Tuesday's milestone demonstrated the company was delivering on its energy transition strategy through the successful closure of one of its thermal power stations.
"Liddell Power Station has played an important role in Australia's energy system. The demolition will pave the way for the continued transformation of the site. AGL's vision is to transform the site into a Hunter Energy Hub that will support new jobs, regional growth and long-term economic development," he said.
Access to Liddell and the surrounding area was locked down from early 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.
The highly controlled, precision-engineered blast involved placing hundreds of individual charges into predrilled holes which weakened the chimney base.
Bayswater power station operated as normal during the demotion.
