Most of the hundreds of reports that have been sent to Geoscience Australia so far have been from people in Perth who said that their beds swayed during the tremor.

“It lasted about 2–5 seconds, enough to rock my bed as if someone was beside it physically rocking the frame,” said one resident.

According to one resident of East Perth, the experience was extraordinary.

“I live in an apartment on the 24th floor in the city and it felt like someone was shaking my bed but like it was floating and shaking,” they said.

“Parents described it as they thought it was a ghost.”

Many locals said they were awakened by the earthquake.

“It woke me up, shook all my windows in the house, and after all the rattling stopped