Australia news live: thousands feel ‘large’ earthquake in central-west NSW; Albanese arrives in Brunei for fuel supply talks
TL;DR
A 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck central-west NSW at 8:19 PM, felt across a wide area. The quake occurred 30 km southwest of Orange at a depth of 5 km.
Key points
- 4.5-magnitude earthquake hit central-west NSW
- Epicenter located 30 km southwest of Orange
- Earthquake occurred at 8:19 PM
- Depth of the quake was 5 km
- Felt across a wide area
From
Part of Australia’s east coast has been shaken by an earthquake that could be felt hundred of kilometres away.
A 4.5-magnitude quake hit at 8.19pm last night at a depth of 5km about 30km southwest of Orange in central-west NSW, near the Cadia gold mine.
A graphic from Geoscience Australia shows where a 4.5 earthquake hit central-west NSW on the evening of 14 April 2026. Composite: Geoscience Australia
Geoscience Australia received more than 2,000 reports of tremors in the region, which a senior seismologist said were weak to light and felt as far as hundreds of kilometres southeast in Batemans Bay.
Phil Cummins told AAP only five quakes had been recorded within 50km of the quake site since 1977, with the previous one in a 4.3 magnitude in 2017.
“This is a large earthquake for this area,” he said. The ABC reported this morning that it was “record-breaking” for the region.
Cummins expected aftershocks but said they would likely be much lighter and felt in a smaller area.
Anthony Albanese has arrived in Brunei Darussalam, the first Australian prime minister to fly to the oil-rich country for a meeting with the sultan, where he’ll discuss fuel supplies with the world’s longest serving monarch, Andrew Greene has reported from the travelling media pool.
Arriving in Bandar Seri Begawan yesterday for his second trip to Asia in a week, Albanese was officially welcomed on the tarmac before making his way to the Brunei Darussalam-Australia memorial to lay a wreath.
He is being accompanied by the foreign minister, Penny Wong, for the overnight visit where he’ll meet Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah today to discuss fuel and food trade between both countries.
Penny Wong and Anthony Albanese in Brunei. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/EPA
Brunei Darussalam provides 9% of Australia’s annual diesel imports as well as 11% of annual crude oil imports and 11% of annual fertiliser-grade urea imports.
The last Australian leader to travel to Brunei Darussalam was Tony Abbott in 2013 to attend the East Asia summit, but Albanese is the first prime minister to be invited for a bilateral visit.
Following his talks with the sultan, who has ruled Brunei Darussalam since 1967 and is one of the world’s richest people, Albanese will fly straight to Kuala Lumpur to discuss fuel supplies with his Malaysian counterpart.
Australia was one of Brunei Darussalam’s first diplomatic partners after the country’s full independence in 1984, but historic links date back to 1945 when Australian forces landed there as part of an allied campaign to liberate Borneo.
Part of Australia’s east coast has been shaken by an earthquake that could be felt hundred of kilometres away.
A 4.5-magnitude quake hit at 8.19pm last night at a depth of 5km about 30km southwest of Orange in central-west NSW, near the Cadia gold mine.
A graphic from Geoscience Australia shows where a 4.5 earthquake hit central-west NSW on the evening of 14 April 2026. Composite: Geoscience Australia
Geoscience Australia received more than 2,000 reports of tremors in the region, which a senior seismologist said were weak to light and felt as far as hundreds of kilometres southeast in Batemans Bay.
Phil Cummins told AAP only five quakes had been recorded within 50km of the quake site since 1977, with the previous one in a 4.3 magnitude in 2017.
“This is a large earthquake for this area,” he said. The ABC reported this morning that it was “record-breaking” for the region.
Cummins expected aftershocks but said they would likely be much lighter and felt in a smaller area.
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories before Nick Visser picks up the reins.
Anthony Albanese will meet the sultan of Brunei today to discuss the fuel supply crisis, having touched down in the tiny nation yesterday as part of his ongoing diplomatic offensive in south-east Asia. Later he will fly to Malaysia. We’ll have more details in a moment.
As the prime minister has his discussions in Brunei, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, will be flying to Washington to join the G20 finance ministers’ summit, where – after the IMF’s warning overnight – the main topic of conversation will likely be how to prevent the world sliding into recession as a result of the war in the Middle East. More coming up.
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Q&A
What was the magnitude of the earthquake in central-west NSW?
The earthquake had a magnitude of 4.5.
Where was the epicenter of the earthquake in NSW?
The epicenter was located about 30 km southwest of Orange, near the Cadia gold mine.
When did the earthquake occur in central-west NSW?
The earthquake occurred at 8:19 PM on the evening of April 14, 2026.
How deep was the earthquake in central-west NSW?
The earthquake struck at a depth of 5 km.
