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A Gympie local has told Nine.com.au that she was in ‘disbelief’ after realising a 5.6 magnitude earthquake had struck close to her home in regional Queensland.
The epicentre of the quake struck at Kilkivan, west of Gympie and 256 km north of Brisbane, at 9.50am today.
It struck at a depth of 10km, according to GeoScience Australia.
The quake was felt as far away as Brisbane, with witness reports saying they felt the shake as far afield as Bundaberg and the Gold Coast.
Thousands of people have reported feeling the quake.
Gympie teenager Jemma Falla was playing guitar on her bed when the items on her desk started rattling.
“The house started shaking… It felt like the dryer was shaking but a lot more,” Falla told Nine.com.au.
“I’ve been to the Pacific airshow before, and it was the same shaking as when the jets go over.”
“It was really strong… it sort of got worse, and then it died down.”
Falla, who lives in the centre of Gympie, ran outside to the street where other neighbours had gathered.
“I think everyone was confused… it was just disbelief… when I realised what happened, it was like ‘okay I’m not crazy, we just had an earthquake.'”
“It was so random cause nothing happens in Gympie. My friend’s mum was saying this is going to be the most interesting thing that’s happened to Gympie.”
Over 250km away, Upper Caboolture local Jessica Ward was watching TV with her fiance when their house started shaking at the exact same moment.
“All of a sudden, the entire house started shaking, the windows were rattling, I heard the washing machine moving around,” she said.
“We looked at each other like, was that an earthquake?
“It was really intense for a couple of seconds, and then it died down a bit.”
She said her father also felt the quake in Deception Bay, and her partner’s parents felt it from Redcliff.
Ward said it was the first earthquake she had ever experienced.
“I’m 26 years old, I’ve never heard of a quake in Brisbane.”
Felt reports have even crossed the border into northern New South Wales, with people in the town of Lismore reportedly feeling it.
About 13,000 homes are without power around Cherbourg and Burrum Heads, Ergon Energy reports.
