Earthquake hits south-east Australia

The earthquake's epicentre was at Gaffneys Creek, near Mansfield, about 190 kilometres' drive north-east of Melbourne at the foothills of Victoria's high country.

Geoscience Australia said the earthquake happened at 9:15am, at a depth of 10 kilometres.

It was followed by two aftershocks, the first a magnitude four at a depth of 12km and the second of 3.1 at a depth of six km, at 9:45am.

But residents living close to the epicentre said it caused little damage and stock did not appear to be affected.

The earthquake in Victoria, was felt as far away as Tasmania, South Australia and the NSW Central Coast.

Riga Angus stud co-principal Vera Finger, Mansfield, said she noticed animals near her remained calm.

"We were just doing what we were doing, getting ready for freeze-branding," Ms Finger said.

"I walked into the yard shed and I heard something that sounded like a freight train.

"The door on the yard shed shook and it went on for quite some time.

"I stepped back out of the shed, realising it must be an earthquake."

She said husband Ian was on his motorbike and didn't notice anything.

"It was loud, there was a vigorous shaking of the door and it sounded like trucks on the Midland Highway, as it eased off."

She said there didn't appear to be any damage.

'We have 100 plus year old buildings that don't appear to be damaged so we are considering ourselves very fortunate."

Liz Renkin, Lima, said her 12-year old granddaughter Amber had just done a school project on earthquakes.

"She said ' what's this?'

"We said it was an earth tremor, so she experienced what she had been doing at school."

Ms Renkin said she was in the workshop when the earthquake hit.

'The doors started rattling and you could feel yourself starting to sway but it wasn't anything major," she said.

"I didn't take any notice of whether the building was swaying, but I know I was - you could definitely feel yourself moving."

Barrangunda Pastoral Company manager Adrian Oliver, Barwite, said he was using machinery, so didn't experience the earthquake.

"The machinery was vibrating but the other staff, who were fencing, heard the noise and felt the earth move," Mr Oliver said.

Items fell off the shelves in houses on the property but stock didn't appear to be affected.

"The staff were more concerned about themselves, than the stock."

Mansfield mayor Mark Holcombe said the area had been "very, very lucky".

There didn't appear to by any damage, although there were a few minor telecommunications issues.

"I think we would prefer to be on the map for our High Country (experience), but it is one way of getting noticed"

Cr Holcombe, who runs beef cattle on a property just outside Mansfield, said it sounded like a truck going past.

'The birdlife just went berserk, they knew there was something going on," he said.

'We had to run outside and I was watching the cattle, but they were fine."

Social media users were quick to make light of the earthquake.