Magnitude 4.8 earthquake shakes Victoria near Leongatha

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck near Leongatha in South Gippsland at about 2:01 a.m. on October 3, shaking Melbourne and communities across regional Victoria. Geoscience Australia recorded the quake at a depth of about 10 kilometres. The reported felt responses rose to more than 17,000 in one account, although totals varied across updates issued at different times. The earthquake’s epicentre was described as near Leongatha, about 130 kilometres southeast of Melbourne. Residents reported shaking across metropolitan Melbourne and regional areas, with reports extending from Geelong and Torquay to Traralgon and Mansfield. Accounts described rattling windows and moving furniture, while some people said the tremor woke them. Geoscience Australia’s reported felt-report totals included more than 10,000 by 2:30 a.m., more than 14,000 in another update and more than 17,000 in a later account. A separate report said more than 2,600 responses had been submitted within hours. The figures reflect snapshots taken at different times, and the final total was not established in the initial accounts.