The earthquake hit at 1.30pm in the middle of the Grampians National Park, about 45 kilometres south-west of Ararat.

Towns from Horsham to Dunkeld felt the shake but so far no damage or injuries have been reported.

Minor earthquakes of 3.0 to 3.9 occur across the world almost 1000 times a week and there have been 54 quakes in the Grampians since records began in 1901.

The most southern report from the epicentre was at Nareeb, between Glenthompson and Caramut, where a confused Tash Franko noticed her windows shaking yesterday afternoon.

“It felt like I had the washing machine on the spin cycle,” she told The Standard.

“Every now and then it gets unstable and shakes the house, but it was twice as strong as what the machine would do.

“I got a little bit scared when I realised the machine was off, but I thought it must’ve been a truck going past or something.”

She said her windows shook for up to a minute before the earthquake ended.

“A couple of dishes fell on to the floor and broke,” she said.

“But my two-year-old daughter was asleep on the couch and slept right through it.

“It’s not every day you get an earthquake around here.”

Geoscience Australia received reports of the 3.8 magnitude quake from towns including Ararat, Ballarat, Horsham and Halls Gap.

“We haven’t had any reports of damage at this stage,” a spokesperson said.

“Most reports are of windows shaking and that type of thing.”