How the world reported on Melbourne’s earthquake: ‘Australians surprisingly unfazed’

A powerful earthquake that rocked Melbourne has been widely reported by the world’s media as one that largely left Australians “surprisingly unfazed”.

A rare and powerful earthquake that rocked Melbourne has been widely reported by the world’s media as one that largely left Australians “surprisingly unfazed”.

The 5.9 magnitude earthquake rattled southeast Australia and forced residents to flee apartments, damaged buildings, ripped open roads, and caused power outages on Wednesday morning.

The earthquake was also felt in neighbouring SA and NSW and geologists say the quake is the largest in southeast Australia since the 1800s.

The BBC reported that “the Australian city of Melbourne experienced its strongest earthquake in more than a century on Wednesday – but many people appeared surprisingly unfazed”.

“One resident said he thought the 5.9 magnitude quake was his neighbours doing a ‘high intensity workout’,” it said.

“Another leapt up to make sure his drinks were not spilled.

“While this is one of Australia’s largest earthquakes in recent years, it has not caused significant damage.”

An emergency and rescue official examines the damage to a building in Melbourne’s Chapel Street after Wednesday’s earthquake. Picture: William West/AFP

Debris is seen in Wattle Street, Prahran, between Coles and Woolworths after an earthquake that measured 5.9 on the Richter scale. Picture: Mark Stewart

The Daily Mail UK reported that “Australians have flocked to social media with hilarious reactions after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Melbourne and the nation’s southeast”.

“Despite the terrifying nature of the event, lighthearted Aussies were quick to poke fun at the situation which coincidentally coincided with the third day of planned anti-vax protests in Melbourne as construction workers rally against jab mandates,” the article read.

“A meme quickly began circulating on social media showing Dan Andrews in China, making a call to ‘unleash the earthquake’ in Victoria to punish residents.”

The report included lighthearted tweets from several Australians.

“When the police said they were deploying “different tactics” in response to the Melbourne protests, firing up an earthquake machine was not something I had on the pick list,’ one person tweeted.

“Several others joked the earthquake was caused by the ‘Dan Andreas Fault’ – a name play on the 1200km long San Andreas Fault that runs through California,” the article continued.

Michael Rowland feels the quake.

Several international news outlets broadcast footage showing ABC Breakfast hosts Michael Rowland and Tony Armstrong bracing as the Melbourne earthquake hits the television studio.

Footage released by the network shows Rowland pausing mid-sentence as the studio starts to shake around him. The program was off-air at the time of the earthquake, which struck around 9:17am.

“There’s an earthquake! Holy s**t!” one voice can be heard saying off-camera.

“Oh! I’ve never had an earthquake in here before,” says another, as Rowland and Armstrong look off-camera nervously.

“F**king scary,” says another off-camera voice.

“Was it an earthquake or a structural thing? Let’s go,” says Rowland, standing at the desk. “That was a big one.”

“Let’s go.”

This quake struck at a shallow depth of 10km, according to Geosciences Australia. It was initially measured at 6.0 magnitude before being revised to 5.9.

The geoscience agency says Australia experiences a potentially damaging earthquake – defined as above 6.0 magnitude – about every 10 years. It was followed by two aftershocks of 4.0 and 3.1 magnitude.

AlJazeera, however, noted that the earthquake sent “panicked residents running into the streets of Melbourne, the country’s second-biggest city”.

“The quake, one of the country’s biggest on record, was at a depth of 10 km (six miles),” the independent news organisation funded in part by the Qatari government, wrote.

“Hundreds of aftershocks were detected, with one measuring 4.0 magnitude.

“Emergency services reported damage to buildings in Melbourne, and more than 1,000 homes across the state were without power.”

The NY Times reported that the earthquake caused many “residents and hospitals to evacuate”

“It was an unusually large quake in a country less susceptible to major temblors than neighbouring countries,” the US-based outlet wrote.

“Photos and videos shared widely on social media show a damaged building in Melbourne, with bricks spewed across the street.

“Because of the rarity of earthquakes in the country, some Australians said they had not realised what was happening at first, chalking it up to a truck driving past their house or their imagination.”

A headline by The Washington Post read: “‘Yes, that was an earthquake’: Australia rocked by rare, powerful temblor’”.

Speaking from the US, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said “we have had no reports of serious injuries and that is very good news”.

Mr Morrison also noted earthquakes were uncommon in Australia and they “can be a very, very disturbing event”.

Victoria’s State Emergency Service warned residents to be alert for possible aftershocks.

“If you are located in Victoria, you are in danger. Expect aftershocks, stay away from damaged buildings and other hazards. Avoid driving, except for emergencies,” the authority said.

Originally published as How the world reported on Melbourne’s earthquake: ‘Australians surprisingly unfazed’