On Monday afternoon (December 4) the earth shook all the way from Tuncurry to Coomba Park, spreading alarm and confusion throughout the Great Lakes’ community.
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Suey Mallia felt the disturbance in Forster, in Capehawke Drive.
“My house shook,” she said.
Samantha Swadling in Green Point also experienced something unusual.
“My whole house shook and I could see the glass sliding doors tremor,” she said.
Barb Jones felt it at Blueys Beach, describing it as a loud noise that made the house rattle.
Kristy Jane suggested everyone calm down.
“It was just an earth tremor,” she said.
Kellie Hilder in Coomba Park agreed with this explanation.
“Yes it was scary the whole house was shaking… we ran outside… was it a earth quake…” she said.
But was it an earthquake? Not according to Scott Mitchell, who provided a link to the Geoscience Australia Earthquakes updates website, which showed no record of a recent tremor.
Kevin Thompson offered an interesting theory to explain the mysterious incident.
“Santa doing a practice flyover?” he pondered.
Ashley Arnold was in her car at Green Point and said her dogs went crazy.
“It was very bizarre, all the cicadas went really high pitched while the shaking happened, it sounded like screaming,” she said.
The disturbance rattled windows, ornaments, and also people’s nerves.
Vicki Lylyk went to her front door expecting a house caller.
“Yes it happen to me – I live in Tuncurry,” she said.
“Thought someone had driven down my driveway but when I looked there was no-one there; spooky.”
Maureen Camilleri thought it was a breeze that made her standard lamp move, and Kate Varley was concerned there was someone on her roof.
Wayne Benham thought the metre man was at the front of his house.
“Yep windows shook I thought it was the metre man,” he said.
“Went out front but nothing there.”
Lessley Thornton thought her cat was trying to get into the house when her glass door rattled, and was surprised when there was no cat in sight.
Others in the community attributed the disturbance to a sonic boom, caused by aircraft flying from the RAAF Base in Williamtown.
Bryan Meaker Âû was in Forster, and felt the windows of his house rattle.
“Thought it may have been a sonic boom but I didn't hear a F/A-18,” he said.
Johnny Mark was of a similar opinion.
“Shook the windows at Boomerang Beach,” he said.
“It was probably a plane, happens often while they are training.”
Frances Breen also felt the disturbance.
“We thought it was a jet breaking the sound barrier,” she said.
Kirsty Lamplough thought it felt like a sonic boom out to sea, and Mark Thomson said a sonic boom had been confirmed.
The Williamtown RAAF Base has been contacted to confirm whether or not the incident was a sonic boom.
