At 9.49am on Saturday 16th of August 2025 I was sitting at the kitchen table of our holiday accommodation unit on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast when the building began to shudder. I soon realised we were in the midst of an earthquake and it was not long until Geoscience Australia seismologist Michelle Salmon was reporting that the 5.6 magnitude earthquake was the largest onshore earth quake in Queensland for 50 years. After the initial earthquake, which lasted around 7 seconds, more announcements were made warning us we could face aftershocks so be prepared! 

This earthquake reminds us how quickly people can find themselves in a pote