Melbourne and parts of Victoria in Australia were rocked by a rare earthquake on Wednesday morning, causing building damage and reports of violent shaking from Geelong to Gippsland, according to reports in the local media.

The US Geological Survey put the magnitude of the quake at 5.8, later revised up to 5.9, and said it struck at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles).

Geosciences Australia said an aftershock measuring 4.0 struck shortly after the initial temblor.

The tremors were also felt across parts of Sydney, Adelaide, Launceston and Canberra. NSW Fire and Rescue said crews had been sent to locations including Alexandria, Manly and Hornsby in Sydney, Geosciences Australia has confirmed it is the largest earthquake ever recorded on land in Victoria, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Panicked residents are reported to have run out into the streets of Melbourne. The epicentre of the quake was east of Australia’s second-largest city just after 9:00am local time and was felt hundreds of kilometres away.

Debris littered roads in the popular shopping area around Melbourne's Chapel Street, with bricks breaking loose from buildings.

The mayor of Mansfield, near the quake epicentre, said there was no damage in the small town but it had taken residents by surprise.

"I was sitting down at work at my desk and I needed to run outside. It took me a while to work out what it was," Mark Holcombe told public broadcaster ABC.

"We don't have earthquakes that I am aware of — none of the locals I spoke to this morning had that experience with earthquakes here before.”

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