A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck near Leongatha in Victoria early on Saturday, sending tremors across Melbourne and waking residents, Geoscience Australia said.

The quake was recorded at 2:01am local time near Leongatha, about 135 kilometres southeast of Melbourne, at a shallow depth of about 10 kilometres. More than 16,000 felt reports were submitted to Geoscience Australia within hours.

Residents across Melbourne reported houses shaking. Two aftershocks followed: a magnitude 3.1 at 2:56am and a magnitude 2.5 at 12:25pm. Authorities said no injuries or property damage were reported.

It was the strongest earthquake recorded in Victoria since a magnitude 5.0 quake on the Great Ocean Road in October 2023, the Britain Herald reported. Seismologists warned further aftershocks were possible in the coming days.

The Victoria State Emergency Service said there was no immediate threat to the community. Members of the public who felt the quake were encouraged to lodge felt reports, which help hazard modelling.