‘Woke up screaming’: Third earthquake in two weeks rocks Hunter region

Thousands were left without power after residents in the NSW Hunter town of Muswellbrook ‘woke up screaming’ when a third earthquake in just two weeks shook their homes.

Residents in the Hunter region woke to shaking beds and the rumbles of a third earthquake in the space of just three weeks, with experts warning there could be more to come.

A magnitude 4.45 earthquake rocked the town of Muswellbrook at 5.58am this morning, according to Geoscience Australia, believed to be part of an “earthquake swarm”.

There have been more than 30 earthquake events in the Muswellbrook area, since an initial quake on January 23 this year.

According to Geoscience Australia’s Dr Trevor Allan an earthquake swarm is categorised by a “series of moderate sized earthquakes, each with their own aftershock sequence”.

“These sorts of earthquake swarms are usually common in the southwest of Western Australia,” he said.

The Seismology Research Centre has pinpointed the earthquake to near Muswellbrook. Picture: Supplied

“But they’re less common in eastern Australia, typically because they are deeper, and we tend not to see as many aftershocks resulting from these deeper earthquakes.”

Saturday’s event was the third earthquake to rock the region in the space of just two weeks, and Dr Allen said there was an “elevated chance” of further events.

“Now that we’ve seen this series of earthquakes, there is an elevated chance that we will see further moderate sized earthquakes of this magnitude, or potentially even a little bit larger,” he said.

“But there’s a strong likelihood over the coming weeks and months that we will start to see the number of earthquakes reducing and also the magnitude of those becoming smaller as well.

No #tsunami threat to Australia from #earthquake felt in Muswellbrook, New South Wales (magnitude 4.7 near Muswellbrook, NSW). See https://t.co/Tynv3ZQpEq. pic.twitter.com/t6ogkTrUSW

— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) September 6, 2024

On Saturday morning, one local said she “woke up screaming” as her home shook.

“Woke me up the noise and so strong,” she said.

“I can’t even have a cuppa because we have no power. I actually woke up screaming.”

Gosford resident Anne Doran felt the earthquake, saying her “bed moving and table ornaments swayed”.

The tremors triggered a loss of power to 2500 homes across the region, with Ausgrid quickly working to get the lights back on.

“Crews are continuing to patrol the area checking for faults and electrical hazards,” an Ausgrid spokesperson said.

“Ausgrid is asking people to never approach fallen powerlines – always assume they are live and stay at least 8 metres or 2 car lengths away from them.”

According to reports from locals, the earthquake was also felt in Taree, Wisemans Ferry, Wamberal, Sylvania Waters, Camden, Quakers Hill and along Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Damage in Muswellbrook after the August 23 earthquake. Picture: Facebook

The Hunter was rocked by a magnitude 5.0 earthquake just weeks ago.

Geoscience Australia also received reports it had been felt as far south as Wollongong, and as far north as Tamworth.

“Residents are advised to alert their local relevant authorities of any injury or damage,” a NSW Police spokesperson said.

An aftershock was also felt 12 minutes after the initial quake.

In a statement NSW Police said they had “not been made aware of injury or damage to infrastructure” following the earthquake.