[2] The shock measured 5.6 on the Richter scale and was one of Australia's most serious natural disasters, killing 13 people and injuring more than 160.

The highest death toll and damage occurred at the Newcastle Workers Club, where the floor collapsed.

[2] Another three people were crushed to death when masonry from building façades collapsed onto awnings on Beaumont Street, Hamilton, an inner-city suburb of Newcastle.

The number of people in the city on the day of the earthquake was lower than usual, due to a strike by local bus drivers.

The earthquake struck in the middle of an interview by a local television station NBN with a union representative.