By Luke Voogt
An earthquake reaching 5.9 on the Richter scale and originating near Mansfield shook Geelong and Victoria for up to 30 seconds on Wednesday morning.
Residents from across Geelong and the Surf Coast reported their houses shaking and windows rattling, with the quake being felt across most of Victoria and even southern NSW.
The Independent received reports of tremors from as far north as Jerilderie, a small town near Wagga.
Other reports emerged of the quake being felt in Canberra.
The earthquake caused major damage to a burger shop on Chapel Street and a façade in Fitzroy.
The quake also caused minor building damage in several Melbourne suburbs including Kensington, Ascot Vale, Prahran, Parkdale, Elsternwick, West Melbourne and Balwyn, according to VICSES.
VICSES received 108 calls for assistance, primarily for damage to facades, chimneys and older buildings.
Geelong appears to have escaped any major damage, with VICSES receiving no earthquake-related callouts in the area, according an agency spokesperson.
Geoscience Australia initially recorded the earthquake at 6.0 on the Richter scale about 9.15am, before revising this to 5.9 later in the day.
The authority recorded several aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 4.0 to 2.5.
