By the time the dispirited South Africans trooped off the field, Australia - who predictably declined to enforce the follow-on - had reached 292/3 in their second innings, an overall lead of 506 - far more than they need.
With overnight rain predicted, as well as a smattering this morning brought in by a south-westerly wind, there is every chance that the grass on the Kingsmead pitch should be standing to attention when Mitchell Johnson and Co eventually unleash their missiles towards the Proteas' batsmen minus the injured Graeme Smith.
Hughes, 20, the son of a banana farmer in Macksville, New South Wales, broke a 79-year-old record when he became the youngest man to score a century in both innings in a Test match. The youngster, playing only his second Test, beat the achievement of George Headley, "the black Bradman", who performed the same feat in his third Test match against England at the Bourda Ground in Guyana in 1930. Headley, who was also 20, was a few months older than the quietly spoken Aussie youngster who dreams of breeding Angus cattle when he eventually retires from the game.
The breeding programme will have to stay on the backburner for some years yet judging by his remarkable efforts in Durban. Opening the innings with his state captain, Simon Katich, the nerveless Hughes showed just how much he loves the big time as he compiled a chanceless, unbeaten 136.
The left-hander may not be the most graceful batsman in the world, but when he hits the ball - mainly drives and cuts - it certainly stays hit.
It was another gruelling day for the home team as they played on the retreat for the third consecutive day. There may have been some fond hopes early on that JP Duminy and Dale Steyn, who pulled off the miracle of Melbourne when they added 180 in the second Test to haul their team out of a potentially losing position, might repeat their feat this morning.
But those hopes lasted just two balls as Steyn swished at a wide delivery from Peter Siddle, edging behind to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin. And just to clean things up nicely, Siddle then had Makhaya Ntini plumb leg before first ball, so he will start his first spell today on a hat trick.
Poor Duminy, who had played with such aplomb on Saturday as wickets crashed around him, never got to face a ball.
The Kingsmead pitch has tended to look fairly bland when the South Africans have bowled. But yesterday, the Australian batsmen poured on the misery.
Katich and Hughes looked in no kind of trouble during the first hour of the innings, with Hughes signalling his intent off the first ball he received from Steyn, a belligerent cut that narrowly missed the top edge.
Although Katich went for 30, edging a drive from Kallis to gully where Paul Harris clasped a nice catch diving to his right, the Australian juggernaut kept right on rolling with Ponting helping the young tyro to add 164 for the second wicket.
During the course of his innings, the Australian captain, who struck a fluent 81, overtook former skipper Steve Waugh as the second highest Australian Test run-scorer (10948) behind Allan Border.