Aussies in north-central New South Wales have been shaken awake by a series of early-morning earthquakes with reports of tremors as far away as Queensland.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck the Orana region of NSW at 2.36am on Saturday followed by a magnitude 4.1 aftershock just minutes later.
Geoscience Australia reported the initial tremor hit at a shallow depth of 10km and was felt by residents across a wide area, including Nyngan, Carinda, Dubbo, Narromine, Coolah, and Collarenebri.
A third 3.6 magnitude earthquake was recorded at 5.43am.
More than 135 people reporting tremors to Geoscience Australia by 4am.
Orana covers approximately 25 per cent of NSW and encompasses 12 local government areas.
A resident in Forbes, 375km west of Sydney, said they felt their house shake.
‘Felt my floor vibrate last night twice about 10 minutes apart. Thought there was something under my house,’ they said.
Geoscience Australia said earthquakes were felt in Nyngan, Carinda, Dubbo, Narromine, Coolah, and Collarenebri (the epicentre of the quake is pictured)
‘Woke us up in Moree,’ another said.
Helen Crosland, from Nyngan, said she ‘felt it significantly’.
‘Yes, it woke me up. I thought it was a train. Couldn’t understand why the vibration was different and the odd timing. Now I know,’ another said.
Darryl Stokes said he even felt the quake in Queensland.
‘Windows vibrated here on the Gold Coast,’ he said.
No significant damage or injuries were reported, but local authorities said they were monitoring the situation as minor aftershocks are still possible.
Earthquakes above a magnitude of five occur every two years in Australia, but those events are rare in inland NSW.
On average, 100 earthquakes of a magnitude of three or more are recorded in Australia each year. An earthquake exceeding magnitude seven occurs somewhere in Australia every 100 years on average.
The Seismology Research Centre said the Orana region quakes were among the strongest to hit the state in recent years.
