4.6 Intensity Earthquake Felt Across Melbourne and Victoria
Jane Metlikovec, Brigid O'Donnell and staff writers
UPDATE 5.45pm: RESIDENTS as far north as Bendigo and Seymour felt an earthquake hitting 4.6 on the Richter Scale that rocked Victoria last night.
Millions of Victorians felt the quake just after 9pm, with many waking to cracked walls and broken windows this morning. There was no major damage or injuries reported.
Residents of Korumburra - the South Gippsland town closest to the quake's epicentre - felt as many as five minor aftershocks, with the largest at about 3am.
Rumbles continued into the morning with many residents feeling a jolt at about 10.15am. Geoscience Australia said two of the aftershocks hit 3.1 on the Richter Scale.
The quake was the strongest in 36 years, according to Geoscience Australia.
The last time the earth shook with such force so close to Melbourne was in 1973, when a quake measuring 5 happened at Wonthaggi south-east of Melbourne.
In last night's quake, the epicentre was just north of Korumburra, 90km south-east of Melbourne, and was felt over several hundred kilometres.
State SES duty officer Tim Wiebusch said the volunteer crews spent most of the night assessing property damage across the city.
Mr Wiebusch said the size of the earthquake was significant, but only minor damage to property, mainly hairline cracking in plaster and walls, had been reported.
But he said there were dozens of calls for help from the SES late last night.
"An earthquake measuring 4.6 is certainly enough that people will get a very strong feeling of the earthquake. People in part of Gippsland have reported shaking of buildings,'' he said.
"It's certainly been quite some time since we've had a magnitude anywhere near that order.
"Specifically earthquakes in Victoria in recent years have been in the range of 2 -3.5 (on the Richter Scale).''
More aftershocks are possible today, but unlikely and SES believes the 30 calls they received last night will be the brunt of the damage.
But residents concerned about structural damange to their homes are advised to turn off gas and electricity appliances and contact the SES on 132 500.
The epicentre hit just north of Korumburra in South Gippsland, but the earthquake was powerful enough to shake buildings and cause some residents to fall off their couches in metropolitan Melbourne.
Some homes around Korumburra and Leongatha lost power for up to 10 minutes.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said there were no reports of any injuries.
Phil Cummins, duty seismologist at Geoscience Australia, which monitors earthquake activity, confirmed the tremor measured 4.6.
"It was certainly a moderate earthquake that was likely to be felt across a wide area but is unlikely to have caused any damage, except possibly some minor damage near the epicentre,'' Mr Cummins said.
Balnarring resident Karl Rohner said the quake caused cracks in his ceiling and a broken window. He described the sensation of the quake as sitting on jelly.
Korumburra Hotel bar worker Kylie Luttrel said she thought the pub had been hit by a truck.
"We get lots of trucks through here, so when the earth started shaking, my first thought was that a truck was about to smash through,'' Ms Luttrel said.
But she said patrons remained calm, and nothing had been damaged.
"Nobody screamed, but everybody was a little anxious.''
Korumburra resident James Carter said the quake shook books off the shelves in his family home.
"There were also paintings falling off walls, power out, and the phone network down,'' Mr Carter said.
Gerry Davenport, 82, was sitting in his Scoresby home when he felt the tremor.
"I didn't know if someone had run into the house, because it was vibrating so badly,'' Mr Davenport said.
Langwarrin farmer Jenny Haig, 56, was watching TV when the windows started rattling.
"I jumped up to run to my husband when it happened, it was pretty scary,'' Ms Haig said.
Endeavour Hills resident Davide Andreotti said the episode was frightening.
"The room and coffee table started shaking for about 10 seconds,'' Mr Andreotti said.
I never thought to feel something like this in Melbourne!''
Where the quake has been reported:
Avondale Heights, Altona
Berwick, Bundoora, Bunyip, Bayswater, Bayswater North, Burwood, Boronia, Blackburn, Belgrave
Craigieburn, Camberwell, Cheltenham, Cranbourne
Druin, Dromana
Essendon, Elwood, Elsternwick
Fairfield, Frankston, Forest Hill, Ferntree Gully
Glen Waverley, Gembrook, Glenroy
Hastings, Heathmont
Ivanhoe, Inverloch
Kew, Kooweerup, Kylsythe
Lilydale, Langewarrin
Mt Evelyn, Mont Albert, Mt Martha, Mt Waverley, Malvern East, Macleod, Mooralbark, Mernda, Mt Dandenong
North Balwyn, Northcote
Olinda
Pakenham, Phillip Island
Rosanna, Ringwood East, Rye, Rowville
Sunshine, South Gippsland, South Morang, Springvale, Scoresby
Upwey
Wantirna South, Wonthaggi
Yarra Valley
- Jane Metlikovec, Brigid O'Donnell and staff writers
www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25150188-661,00.html