Magnitude 4.8 earthquake rattles Melbourne, Victoria

Updated October 3, 2026 — 2:45am,first published 2:21amAn earthquake in the early hours of Saturday has rattled Melbourne and regional Victoria.Geoscience Australia reported a magnitude 4.8 quake was recorded just after 2am with an epicentre near the South Gippsland town of Leongatha, about 135 kilometres south-east of Melbourne.More than 10,000 “felt reports” had already been lodged with GeoScience Australia by 2.30am.The federal government agency reported the tremor had a depth of 10 metres.The Victorian State Emergency Service also confirmed the tremor and alerted crews.Seismic activity has spiked in Victoria since a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in September 2021 damaged buildings in Melbourne and was felt across south-eastern Australia.Aftershocks from that earthquake included a 3.8 magnitude quake near Sunbury in May 2023 that was the largest recorded within metropolitan Melbourne for 120 years. In June 2023, more than 10,000 people reported feeling a magnitude 4.6 quake with an epicentre near Mount Baw Baw.More recently, in August last year, hundreds of people were shaken awake by a magnitude 3.2 earthquake on the Mornington Peninsula.Experts have previously told The Age these tremors were part of normal seismic activity in the aftermath of the September 2021 earthquake.More to comeStart the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.Lachlan Abbott is a crime reporter at The Age. He was previously a city reporter and covered breaking news.Connect via email.From our partners