Hazelwood Power Station's imposing chimneys have been demolished, marking the end of an era for the Victorian community shaped by their presence.
The eight chimneys, which soared 137m above the town of Morwell in the Latrobe Valley, came crashing down just before 12:30 pm on Monday.
Owner Engie provided a live stream of the demolition, which took about a minute and was viewed by thousands.
Hundreds, meanwhile, gathered across Morwell to watch from a safe distance.
The chimneys were built in the 1960s and operated for more than half a century before the brown coal-fuelled power station was shut down in March 2017.
The eight chimneys at Hazelwood power station go down one-by-one as part of demolition works. Source: AAP
It followed a bushfire in the summer of 2014, which spread to its coal mine and burned for 45 days.
Hazelwood Power Corporation was fined $1.56 million last week for putting employees and nearby residents at risk by failing to prepare for the fire.
The power station produced roughly 25 per cent of Victoria's electricity and employed 750 people in the Latrobe Valley area.
It was also known as Australia's dirtiest power station, responsible for 14 per cent of the state's total emissions, a reason Engie cited for the closure.
Engie head of corporate affairs in Australia and New Zealand Ryan Auger said the demolition marked a "major milestone" for the community.
"We recognise it's going to mean different things for different people, particularly those who worked in and around the power station. It's certainly the end of an era," he told AAP.
"For others, this may very well represent change and renewal. For the project team at Engie, it's the culmination of an enormous amount of planning."
Mr Auger said the company had spent almost 12 months preparing for the demolition, which went "perfectly".
About 50kg of 'bonded asbestos' was contained in each chimney as well as about 12 tonnes of concrete, with air quality to be monitored at the site over the coming week. Results will be shared with the community.
Mr Auger said the asbestos was in the base of the chimneys, but it was far enough from the detonation site not to become airborne.
"There is absolutely no risk that asbestos will be anywhere other than on the ground, and ultimately remediated on-site and stored in an approved cell," he said.
About 400 people remain employed at the plant to prepare demolition and to rehabilitate the 4000-hectare site.
Proposals include turning its coal mine into a lake.
Mr Auger said Engie's ultimate goal is to hand the site back to the community to safely enjoy.
"The people who worked here should be very proud and hopefully they get some use out of the future site," he said.
"They can go there with their children and grandchildren and tell them about the work that they did on the site."
All Hazelwood demolition work is expected to be finished by 2022.
