By Tyler Wright
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake was felt across Melbourne in the early hours of Sunday 22 October.
The quake’s epicentre was near Colac, and shook the southwest of the state at around 2am at a reported depth of seven kilometres.
A 3.6 magnitude after-shock at a depth of 10 kilometres was then recorded at 5.44am with an epicentre near Apollo Bay.
According to Geoscience Australia, there were 8315 ‘felt reports’ after the incident.
Upwey resident Jess Vorherr told the Star Mail her house shook and windows rattled for a few seconds just after 2am.
“It was certainly nothing like the quake during the Melbourne lockdown but I certainly knew that we were having an earthquake,” Ms Vorherr said.
“My 10 year old daughter was asleep next to me and she didn’t wake up. I didn’t freak out or anything.
“If I had been up and about with the telly on, I may not have felt it, it was just that I was laying still and it was so quiet.”
Facebook commenter Bernadette Saulenier said she heard some rumbling before feeling the quake in Monbulk.
“I attributed [the rumbling] to a storm but then it felt like an army of possums on the roof again,” she wrote.
“I had felt dizzy all day on Saturday which is my usual feeling before earth tremors.”
According to Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES), there have been a couple of calls to the service on 132-500 for emergency assistance but only minor damage reported and no injuries.
It is the second tremor felt by Victorians in the past seven days, with a small quake on Wednesday 18 October centred in Healesville.
The quake was felt in neighbouring towns including Ferntree Gully, Boronia, Mooroolbark, Croydon, with an approximate depth of 10 kilometres and an approximate magnitude of three or below.
In an earthquake or subsequent after-shocks, remember to ‘drop, cover and hold-on’.
