Residents across Melbourne and regional Victoria were jolted awake early Saturday after the state’s strongest earthquake in almost three years sent tremors across the region.
Geoscience Australia recorded the magnitude 4.8 earthquake shortly after 2am on Saturday, October 3, at a depth of about 10 kilometres near Korumburra and Leongatha in South Gippsland.
Despite the epicentre being more than 100 kilometres from Melbourne, the shaking travelled across the metropolitan area and was clearly felt in Melbourne’s west.
In Werribee, a resident of the 70 Cottrell Street building described feeling the structure move as the earthquake reached the suburb. He said he could feel the entire building begin to wobble, while the windows made a groaning sound and items on his desk we observed shaking.
The account shows how far the seismic energy travelled from South Gippsland, with reports of shaking coming from locations across metropolitan Melbourne and beyond.
Geoscience Australia had received almost 15,000 felt reports within about an hour of the earthquake, a number that continued to climb after the initial event.
Magnitude 4.8 earthquake hits Victoria with tremors felt across Melbourne
Epicentre located at Leongatha, 130km south-east of Melbourne, with residents reporting houses shaking just after 2am
Aftershocks already being recorded
The initial earthquake was followed by a magnitude 3.1 aftershock shortly before 3am, with further seismic activity detected in the region.
Seismology Research Centre chief scientist Adam Pascale said dozens of aftershocks had already been detected and warned the sequence was unlikely to end quickly.
“I can see [aftershocks] popping off every couple of minutes and they’ll probably go on for weeks,” Pascale said.
He also warned there was potential for another earthquake of a similar magnitude, or possibly a larger event, during the days or weeks following the main shock.
Aftershocks are common following significant earthquakes as stress within the surrounding rock adjusts after the initial rupture.
Victoria SES says there is no accepted method of predicting exactly when an earthquake will occur, although some areas are more susceptible because of their proximity to earthquake faults.
One of region’s strongest tremors in decades
Geoscience Australia geophysicist Hadi Ghasemi described Saturday’s earthquake as one of the strongest experienced in the region during the past two decades.
He said the shaking had been widely felt close to the epicentre but major damage was not expected.
There were no immediate reports of significant building damage or injuries early Saturday.
The Bureau of Meteorology also confirmed there was no tsunami threat associated with the earthquake.
Werribee shows reach of the earthquake
The shaking experienced in Werribee is significant because of the suburb’s distance from the earthquake’s South Gippsland epicentre.
Reports extending into Melbourne’s western suburbs demonstrate that moderate earthquakes in Victoria can be felt across a substantial part of the state, even where communities are well removed from the source.
The event is also another reminder that Victoria remains seismically active despite Australia being located away from the major tectonic plate boundaries responsible for many of the world’s largest earthquakes.
Victoria SES says earthquakes can and do occur in the state as stresses build within rock along faults beneath the region.
Victoria has experienced several significant earthquakes
Saturday’s earthquake is the largest recorded in Victoria since a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck near the Great Ocean Road in October 2023.
It follows a period of heightened public awareness of earthquakes after the magnitude 5.9 Mansfield earthquake in September 2021, which was felt across south-eastern Australia and caused damage to buildings in Melbourne.
Geoscience Australia received more than 40,000 felt reports following the 2021 earthquake, then a record for the agency’s earthquake reporting system.
Victoria subsequently experienced several other noticeable earthquakes, including a magnitude 4.6 event near Rawson in June 2023 and smaller tremors around Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Saturday morning’s earthquake again demonstrated that significant shaking can travel well beyond an earthquake’s immediate epicentre, reaching densely populated areas across Melbourne.
For people in Werribee, the movement was more than a distant seismic event on the other side of Victoria.
Buildings moved, windows groaned and household items shook as seismic waves travelled beneath the metropolitan area in the middle of the night.
What to do during an earthquake
Victoria SES advises people who experience an earthquake indoors to drop to the ground, take cover beneath sturdy furniture where possible, protect their head and neck and hold on until the shaking stops.
People should remain alert for aftershocks following a significant earthquake and check their property for damage where it is safe to do so.
The SES says earthquake notifications and information are provided by Geoscience Australia, while emergency assistance for earthquake-related building damage can be requested through the SES on 132 500. Life-threatening emergencies should be reported to Triple Zero.
