A magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit south-eastern Australia on Wednesday, shaking buildings in Melbourne and panicking residents running out.
It was felt from the Melbourne TV sets all the way to the top of the Mount Buller ski slopes.
What surprise the population, not used to this type of events in the region.
The earthquake, which occurred only ten kilometers deep, struck residents of Australia's second largest city at 9 a.m. (1 hour in Paris) and was felt hundreds of kilometers away. round.
Rescue services have received calls for help as far as Dubbo, about 700 kilometers from the epicenter.
Large earthquakes are unusual in Southeast Australia, a fairly densely populated region.
It is the biggest earthquake in south-eastern Australia in years, University of Melbourne geologist Mike Sandiford told AFP.
An earthquake of this magnitude occurs every "ten to twenty years in South East Australia, the last was Thorpdale in 2012," he said.
"We had very large magnitude six in the late 1800s, although the precise magnitudes are not well known," he said.
Australians should expect "several hundred aftershocks, most not perceptible to humans, but probably a dozen will be felt," the scientist warned, speculating on the "billions of dollars in damage" that would have occurred. caused the earthquake “if it had occurred in Melbourne”.