Magnitude 4.1 Earthquake Shakes North-East Melbourne, No Damage Reported

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck north-east of Melbourne early Wednesday morning. 

According to Geoscience Australia, the earthquake, centred near Woods Point about 180 km from Melbourne, happened at 3:48am. 

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More than 1,800 people reported feeling the tremor, with reports coming from as far away as Ballarat in the west and Wodonga in the state’s north-east. 

The earthquake was felt in Wangaratta, Benalla, South Morang, Healesville, Yarra Junction, and Dargo. 

Phil Cummins, a senior seismologist at Geoscience Australia, described the quake as an aftershock of the larger 5.9-magnitude earthquake that hit the same area in 2021. 

“Aftershock sequences can last for quite a long time,” Cummins told ABC. “The aftershock should tail off in frequency and magnitude, but you can get some pretty large ones in that sequence.”

Despite the widespread reports, the earthquake did not cause any structural damage. 

Geoscience Australia said the quake was about 8 km deep and not likely to damage buildings or infrastructure. 

Residents shared their experiences on social media, with one person in Heathmont saying that the quake “rattled my windows.” 

Others reported feeling a “light shaking for about 15 seconds.” 

The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed that there was no tsunami threat to Australia following the earthquake.