To Daniel Acheson's surprise his house was shaking, not from wind, but from an earthquake.
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Mr Acheson grew up in Burnie and now lives in the east Victorian town of Sale.
An earthquake struck at Mansfield on Wednesday morning, and the brunt of it was felt more than 200 kilometres away.
Mr Acheson said he had never experienced anything like it.
"Surreal is the only word for it... It was the most bizarre feeling."
He said it was usually windy in Sale so hadn't expected it to be an earthquake.
"It wasn't until I stood up and felt the ground shaking beneath me that I realised what was going on."
Mr Acheson said when he stood up and felt the ground tremble below him it had felt uneasy.
He compared it to the feeling of being on a boat or the Spirit of Tasmania.
"It was an extremely weird feeling."
Geoscience Australia recorded a 5.8 magnitude earthquake at Mansfield Victoria at 9.15am.
It has recorded two aftershocks near Mansfield.
The first was a four magnitude at 9.33am, the second was 3.1 magnitude at 9.54am.
Its was felt across the Bass Strait.
Geoscience Australia has had 20 reports of feeling the earthquake across the North-West Coast, from Wynyard to Port Sorell.
Emergency Victoria reported a number of aftershocks had occurred and could continue to occur for sometime after the main earthquake.
"If you are located in Victoria, you are in danger," Emergency Victoria said in a warning issued at 10.46am.
"Expect aftershocks, stay away from damaged buildings and other hazards. Avoid driving, except for emergencies."
The SES is receiving calls for assistance from across Victoria and is yet to make an assessment of any damage.
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