A 4.6 magnitude earthquake rocked parts of Australia's second largest city, Melbourne, on Friday, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.

Geoscience Australia said the tremor's epicentre was about 90 km (56 miles) southeast of Melbourne.

"It was certainly a moderate earthquake that was likely to be felt across a wide area but is unlikely to have caused any damage, except possibly some minor damage near the epicentre," Geoscience seismologist Phil Cummins told local media.

Victorian State Emergency Service (SES) said there had been no reports of damage or injuries. "It was certainly enough to rattle windows and we've had reports it was felt in metropolitan Melbourne," said SES spokesman Allen Briggs.

Earthquakes of such magnitude are rare in Australia due to its ancient geology and being south of the Pacific's "Ring of Fire" earthquake zone.

In 1989, a 5.6 quake hit the Australian coal port of Newcastle on the east coast, killing 13 people and injuring more than 160 people.