Thousands of people gathered in the streets of Port Kembla, a suburb in the Australian city of Wollongong, to watch the iconic 200-metre-high chimney fall in a demolition.

The chimney, built from about 7,000 tonnes of concrete, steel and bricks, was part of the Port Kembla Copper works.

The stack was built in 1965 and served as a chimney, as well as a marine navigation tool and tourist attraction, local media reported.

Nearly 1,000 explosives charges were placed around the stack, as a 300-metre exclusion zone was put in place and 250 residents were evacuated, local media reported.

Inspectors went to the scene to check for safety and contamination before the barriers around the exclusion zone were removed, local media said.