A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck near Leongatha in South Gippsland just after 2am on Saturday 3 October, and it was felt across a wide area of Victoria. Geoscience Australia recorded the quake at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, and a magnitude 3.1 aftershock followed before 3am. There were no reports of injuries or damage. The Victoria State Emergency Service said there was no immediate threat and no action was required.
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Where It Struck
The epicentre was near Leongatha, about 135km south-east of Melbourne. Geoscience Australia geophysicist Hadi Ghasemi told the ABC it lay less than 20 kilometres north-east of the town. He described it as a “shallow, moderate earthquake”.
AAP, reporting via SBS, timed the main quake at 2.01am, a minute after the hour. It was Victoria’s largest earthquake in three years, AAP said, the biggest since a magnitude 5.0 struck near the Great Ocean Road in October 2023.
Felt Across the State
The shaking reached well beyond South Gippsland. Thousands of felt reports were lodged on Geoscience Australia’s websites, close to 20,000 according to figures cited by the ABC.
The main tremor hit at 2.01am and the aftershock less than an hour later, both in the dead of night.
The Aftershock and the SES
At magnitude 3.1, it was much smaller than the main quake. Mr Ghasemi, a geophysicist with Geoscience Australia, confirmed it to the ABC. “Aftershocks are often a possibility and we have registered a magnitude-3.1 aftershock for this recent event,” he said.
The Victoria SES said there was no immediate threat and that no action was required, but it asked people to stay alert. “If you felt the earthquake, stay calm, check for hazards, and be prepared for further possible aftershocks,” the service said in a statement.
A Run of Recent Quakes
Saturday’s quake came a week after a magnitude 3.9 earthquake in Victoria’s High Country, the ABC reported, which makes two notable quakes in the state in the space of a week. The strongest earthquake in Victoria this decade was the magnitude 5.9 in September 2021, centred at Woods Point near Mansfield, which caused minor damage across central Victoria, including Melbourne. This one was well below that size.
It also arrived at the end of a wet, stormy week in the state, which brought heavy rain and flood watches to parts of Victoria.
If the Ground Moves Again
The SES says no action is required, but aftershocks may still be felt during the day. Mr Ghasemi’s advice, as reported by AAP, is that if the ground starts shaking, people should drop, take cover under a sturdy piece of furniture if possible, and hold on until the shaking stops.
Once it stops, the SES advice is to stay calm and check for hazards. Anyone who needs SES help in an earthquake emergency can call the service on 132 500, the ABC reported.
So far there have been no reports of injuries or damage.
Sources: ABC News, “Magnitude-4.8 earthquake strikes near Leongatha, south-east of Melbourne”, 3 October 2026 (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-03/earthquake-strikes-near-leongatha-gippsland-victoria/107224300); SBS News, “Overnight earthquake rattles Victoria as thousands report shaking”, 3 October 2026 (https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/overnight-earthquake-rattles-victoria-as-thousands-report-shaking/tz6nfuy5g)
Photo: Melburnian, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
McCartin Street in Leongatha, South Gippsland, photographed in 2009. This photograph is illustrative; it was not taken after the earthquake of 3 October 2026.
