Earthquake Melbourne: At midnight, an earthquake shakes the city

An earthquake has shaken the heart of Melbourne and local residents report it was shaking just before midnight.

The quake struck Sunday at 11:41 p.m. near Sunbury on the northwestern outskirts of the city, with an estimated magnitude of 3.8 on the Richter scale.

But residents in the CBD and downtown Melbourne claimed they could feel the tremors.

dr Dee Ninis, an earthquake geologist, tweeted, “A preliminary 4.0 magnitude earthquake near Sunbury-Mickleham-Cragieburn about 5 minutes ago was widespread throughout Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.”

The Victoria State Emergency Service said: “A magnitude 3.8 earthquake has been recorded with an epicenter near Sunbury, Victoria.”

“The earthquake happened at 11:41 p.m., there were widespread reports. No injuries or damage were recorded at this time.”

Local residents flocked to social media to share their experiences of the quake.

Journalist and writer Sasha Petrova said: “My house was shaking so badly I thought several bombs had gone off.”

Ms Petrova said it didn’t feel like “the tremor of a tremor” but rather “just two violent one-second tremors in quick succession, with some books falling off the shelves”.

The earthquake struck around 11:47 p.m. Sunday, with an estimated magnitude of 4.5 on the Richter scale, near Sunbury, 40 km northwest of the city

But residents of Melbourne’s CBD said they could feel the walls of their apartment shaking

A startled Twitter user said he was “woken up” by the shaking.

“The whole house was shaking!” he said.

“My phone alerted me with security information, shattered got up to check on my family alhamdulillah all ok!”

Another Twitter user wrote: “The Melbourne earthquake felt like a massive explosion.”

A Facebook user who lives on Phillip Island south of Melbourne said even the windows rattled.

People with Android phones living in the affected area received automatic alerts saying, ‘Expect minor vibrations.’ Initial estimate M4.5 approximately 21.6 km away.’

Survival tips were on some people’s phones, including suggestions to get a pair of shoes, watch out for the smell of gas and advice to avoid damaged buildings.

Another said his phone got an earthquake alert and his “house here in Yarraville was shaking.”

There’s more to come.