Hundreds of people shaken by earthquake south-west of Sydney
Updated . First published at
A 3.4 magnitude earthquake has been recorded south-west of Sydney.
According to Geoscience Australia, the tremor was recorded at about 1pm on Friday near Appin at a depth of two kilometres.
Appin, which sits on the outskirt of Sydney, recorded a 3.4 magnitude quake. Supplied
Did you feel the tremor? Contact reporter Joseph Sahyoun at joseph.sahyoun@nine.com.au.
Almost 400 people have reported feeling the quake.
Locals told nine.com.au of sudden jolts and shifting furniture as the tremor rippled across Sydney, catching many completely off guard.
In Campbelltown, one resident said she noticed the tremors after her desk starting shaking while working from home.
“I thought I was having an out-of-body experience,” she said.
A local further south-west in Gledswood Hills said a low creak gave way to a sharp push, describing it as if “someone had pushed the sofa from behind”.
Nearby in Razorback, a resident reported that “the whole house shook”.
Another witness recalled his bed moving around 1pm and jumping up to check if someone was hiding underneath it, only realising hours later when watching the news that he had actually felt the earthquake.
“I thought it was very strange for the bed to move like that, but I didn’t think much more about it.”
Nine.com.au sports reporter Damien McCartney, who is also a local in the area, said the minor shake only lasted about five seconds.
“Basically just long enough to register there was a shake, but not long enough for me to realise it was an earthquake,” he said.
“There are plenty of trucks moving around our suburb, and some of them have produced similar shakes. But the sound was certainly different.”
McCartney, who grew up in Darwin, said he used to feel larger Indonesian quakes from afar while living there, but said this tremor wasn’t stronger than any of them.
“It’s the first one I can remember feeling since I moved to Sydney 10 years ago,” he said.
“The house creaked a little bit, but in the same way it does when a big storm comes through and a gust of wind hits the house.
“There aren’t any cracks or anything.”
While 3.4 magnitude earthquakes are generally not considered dangerous, in rare cases they can cause structural damage.
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