A magnitude-4.8 earthquake has been detected in waters off Victoria’s south-west coast, Geoscience Australia says.

It happened about 160 kilometres from the town of Warrnambool at 12.45pm.

The Bureau of Meteorology said no tsunami warning had been issued.

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Ben Wilkie, a historian at Deakin University in Warrnambool, said the tremor made his office windows rattle.

“I was just sitting at my desk doing some work and I felt what felt like a very, very strong blast of wind,” he said.

“I saw that the windows were rattling, they rattled for a good three to four seconds and I also saw my desk shaking as well.

“I didn’t realise what it was until I saw that the Bureau of Meteorology had tweeted about it, and then I went and asked some staff members if they’d felt anything and they had, they just didn’t realise it was an earthquake either.

“We were thinking, what on Earth is that? We’re waiting for the aftershocks.”