When I was a part of the Nine Networks ‘Sale of the Century which was recorded at the GTV9 studios in Richmond, I’d have to regularly visit the TCN9 Sydney studios, and it was always a welcoming feeling as you drove into the Willoughby car park and right next to the studios, towering over you was the famous Channel 9 TV Tower which was affectionately known as the Willoughby Tower.
Everyone in Sydney knew the tower, it was built in 1965, stood 233m (765ft) tall, weighed 347 tons and was the tallest free-standing lattice structure in Australia until 1981 when the Sydney Tower complex was completed.
In late 2018, it was announced that after 64 years in Willoughby, TCN9 would be relocating its studios and offices to North Sydney with the final program broadcast from there on Saturday 21st November 2020.
Well-known developers Mirvac purchased the TCN9 site for the development of luxury apartments and everyone knew it would be a fantastic project, but the lingering question was …. How to demolish the tower?
It took just 4 months to construct the tower in 1965, however it needed almost two years of planning before the tower was safely dismantled in November 2021.
Like so many others that have been touched by the TCN9 Willoughby site, the tower was near and dear to my heart, so I was interested to see this short documentary that was produced by Mirvac commemorating the dismantling of the tower.