Magnitude-4.8 earthquake strikes in rural Victoria

A 4.8-magnitude earthquake has been recorded near the Victorian town of Leongatha.

Geoscience Australia said the quake hit at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres just after 2am, and the epicentre was near the South Gippsland town, which is about 135km south-east of Melbourne. 

The federal agency's websites cited almost 15,000 felt reports in the area by 3am. There have been no reports of injuries or damage.

Hadi Ghasemi, a geophysicist with Geoscience Australia, told the ABC it was one of the strongest tremors the region had experienced in the last two decades. 

"The shaking was widely felt, close to the epicentre. It was a strong shake but I don't expect any major damage,"

he said.

Geoscience Australia also confirmed that a 3.1-magnitude aftershock struck, also near Leongatha, just before 3am.