Melbourne residents were shaken awake overnight as a magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck the Victorian high country in the dead of night.

Geoscience Australia said the epicentre was near the town of Rawson, about 170 kilometres east of Melbourne, at 1.32am Friday.

Thousands of people across Melbourne and regional Victoria felt the quake, which rattled homes and buildings.

Reports came from people living near Albury, on the NSW border, in the Melbourne CBD and as far west as Hamilton. More than 7000 people registered their experience with the Geosciences ‘Felt Report’ in the following hours.

The Bureau of Meteorology advised there was no threat of a tsunami.

Tweet from @BOM_au

The moderate tremor caused homes and furniture to rattle and shake in Melbourne, with residents taking to social media to ask ‘What’s going on?’

The latest earthquake, which occurred at a depth of seven kilometres, was the third to impact the Victorian capital in recent months.

On June 3, a 2.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Mornington Peninsula just after midday and was felt as far away as Melbourne’s north.

On May 29, Melbourne experienced its strongest earthquake in 120 years, with a 3.8 magnitude earthquake at Sunbury, in the city’s north-west, late at night.

Also this month, residents of the tiny town of Appin, near Sydney, described being “lifted” and shaken during a tremor on June 18.

Seismologist Elodie Borleis told ABC News Breakfast there were no early reports of damage.

She said the recent frequency of earthquakes in Victoria was “quite normal seismic activity” when compared to records going back 100 years.

“I wouldn’t say they’re frequent, no. Won’t become more frequent. It is very normal seismic activity,” she said.

Comedian Magda Szubanski was among the Melburnians asking questions after the latest earth-rattling experience.

“Earthquake??? Again?? Melbourne peeps??” she tweeted.

One Melbourne resident told the ABC the night-time quake caused him to wake up.

“I was absolutely woken by an earthquake … it absolutely shook my home, it rattled and rolled the place and I just jumped out of bed,” he said.

Where people reported feeling Friday’s 4.6 magnitude quake. Image: Geoscience Australia

Other Melbourne residents took to Twitter to describe their experiences.

“Came downstairs as soon as earthquake ended to see my mother’s face panicked saying ‘Is this when we go stand outside’. No, mother, this tremor does not require you to stand outside, it just moved your bed not the roof over the house,” joked Ham Bam.