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Subject: Thurs.22.9.21 daily digest

IEV down 12.40; up 13.03; through Camb. ~13.40, so must have been to Alamein.

Roderick

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 "210923Th-Melbourne'HeraldSun'-PuffingBilly-a.jpg" with ATN & v-n
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https://www.flickr.com/groups/abandonedrail

Thurs.23.9.21 Metro Twitter
Aircraft: No ramp access to platforms until late 2021 (pedestrian-underpass works).
Flinders St: still with a lane closed for tunnel works.
Mooroolbark: Station closed until late-2021 (level-crossing removal). A shuttle bus will operate Croydon - Mooroolbark - Lilydale, connecting with trains. There will be no access to station platforms or facilities during this time.
Edithvale/Chelsea/Bonbeach: Stations closed until late 2021 (level-crossing removal). A shuttle bus will operate Mordialloc - Carrum, connecting with trains. There will be no access to station platforms or facilities during this time.
The level crossings at Argyle Avenue, Bondi Road and Edithvale Road are closed until early-October.  Chelsea Road is closed permanently. See http://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/projects/chelsea-road-chelsea
Buses replace trains on sections of the Frankston/Stony Point lines until the last train of Sun 31 Oct (level-crossing works).
Buses replace trains between Newport and Williamstown until the last train of Friday 12 November (level-crossing removal).
Maroondah Highway, Lilydale closes in both directions at the train line for one month, as level-crossing work ramps up on Friday night. John Street will also be closed at this time. See http://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/disruptions/maroondah-highway-and-john-street-lilydale-road-closure. ; Buses will replace trains for 6 weeks.
Buses replace trains Ringwood - Lilydale until the last train of Sun 24 Oct (level-crossing works).  Opening the new Mooroolbark and Lilydale stations on Monday 25 October
8.11 Pakenham/Cranbourne/Franston lines: Owing to a track-equipment fault at Flinders St, trains will run direct Richmond - Flinders St.
- 9.05 Loop running has resumed, with minor delays.
- Why are there always "equipment faults"?
8.39 Subury/Craigieburn/Upfield lines: Owing to an operational incident in the loop, trains will run direct North Melbourne - Flinders St.  Passengers for loop stations change at Southern Cross to a Mernda or Hurstbridge train from pfm 9.
- 8.50 Loop running has resumed, with minor delays.
14.59 Pakenham/Cranbourne lines: Major delays (a train fault near Caulfield).  Trains may terminate/originate at intermediate stations.
- 15.05 clearing.
- 15.12 The majority of the delays are citybound, with two trains running 30 min late; the remaining four late trains vary from 7 min to 22 min. Delays are clearing, with some residual outbound delays.
Buses replace trains Epping - Mernda from 20.50 until the last train (works).

What to do in an earthquake Michael Bachelard September 22, 2021
This is advice issued by the Victorian SES on what to do in an earthquake and what to be aware of in the aftermath of the large one that shook Victoria on Wednesday morning.
The earthquake had a magnitude of 5.5 to 5.9. Its epicentre was around 100 kilometres from Melbourne, near Licola, in Victoria’s east.
If you feel an earthquake
Drop to the ground.
Take cover by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture.
Hold on until the shaking stops.
If you become trapped under debris
Do not use lighters or matches to create light.
Stay as still as possible and cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing.
Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Shout only as a last resort.
If an aftershock occurs, stay safe by taking the following actions
Inside
Drop, cover under a sturdy table or piece of furniture and hold on.
Stay indoors until the shaking stops and you are sure it’s safe to exit.
In an elevator
Drop, cover and hold on.
When the shaking stops, try to get out at the nearest floor if you can safely do so.
Driving
Pull over to a clear location away from buildings, trees, overpasses and power lines
Stop and stay there with your seatbelt fastened until the shaking stops
Once the shaking stops, proceed with caution and avoid bridges or ramps that may have been damaged.
The building housing Betty’s Burgers in Chapel Street, Prahran was damaged in the earthquake.CREDIT:EDDIE JIM
Outdoors
Move away from buildings, trees, street lights and power lines, then drop, cover and hold on.
At the beach or near the coast
Drop, cover and hold on, then move to higher ground immediately in case a tsunami follows.
Near mountains, hills, slopes or cliffs
Be alert for falling debris or landslides.
Impacts in your area
The SES advise that earthquake on Wednesday morning may have resulted in building damage in north-east metropolitan Melbourne.
There are no reports of building damage in other parts of the state.
The earthquake may cause landslides and dangerous road conditions.
Power and telephone services have been lost in some areas.
The State Emergency Service say unless buildings were obviously damaged during the quake, they should be safe to return to.
“If you are in a building, it is safe to stay in there. You are safe in a multi-storey building. They will be built to be safe for it,” said spokesman Tom Szczupak.
“Most buildings, you are safer if you stay where you are until the shaking stops. If you are outdoors, the advice is to move away from buildings, streetlights and powerlines during the quake.”
After the quake finished, people should stay away from damaged buildings until they had been checked over by emergency crews.
“If electricity, gas and water supplies are disrupted, ensure your properties’ utilities are checked by a tested and licensed technician before you use them,” Mr Szczupak said.
“When cleaning, protect your health and safety with strong boots, gloves protective clothing and wash your hands and clothes regularly.”
<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/what-to-do-in-an-earthquake-20210922-p58trl.html>

EnergyAustralia to close NSW coal power plant early. Nick Toscano and Mike Foley September 23, 2021
<www.theage.com.au/business/companies/energyaustralia-to-close-nsw-coal-power-plant-early-20210923-p58u7p.html>

Europe’s gas price shock, and its link to chicken and lager shortages Kate Abnett and Isla Binnie. September 23, 2021
<www.smh.com.au/world/europe/europe-s-gas-price-shock-and-its-link-to-chicken-and-lager-shortages-20210923-p58u6u.html>

SEPTEMBER 23 2021 London Circuit will be closed and car parks reduced as Woden to City light rail construction begins. Lanie Tindale
Construction is starting on the Woden to City light rail route. Picture: Dion Georgopoulos
Utilities relocation works will start on London Circuit to prepare for the Woden to City light rail route construction on Friday, September 24, after peak-hour traffic subsides.
The section of London Circuit between Constitution Avenue and Edinburgh Avenue will be closed until Tuesday, September 28.
Drivers will be rerouted into the city via Vernon Circle and along Edinburgh and Constitution Avenues.
A construction site compound has also been established in the car park on the corner of London Circuit and Constitution Avenue.
This will take over some car spaces, but the ACT government says around 400 spots still remain.
The relocations works will take approximately nine months, and there will be more traffic disruptions ahead.
The ACT government has also opened a competitive two-stage tender process for raising London Circuit.
It wants to create an at-grade intersection with Commonwealth Avenue.
The first stage is seeking expressions of interest from pre-qualified construction companies and closes on October 14.
The quiet roads are a perfect opportunity to start works, ACT Transport Minister Chris Steel said.
"Work has now started on moving underground utilities from their current position along London Circuit to a new alignment on Constitution Avenue, Vernon Circle and Edinburgh Avenue," Mr Steel said.
"By doing this work now, it reduces the risk of damage to critical utilities when we start the main construction work on raising London Circuit in 2022, and following that, building stations and laying track.
"These initial works are not expected to create significant traffic disruption but there will be changes to public parking access, and minor temporary traffic changes in the city."
MORE LIGHT RAIL NEWS:
Long-awaited $12m Mitchell light rail stop opens as stage 2 works near
Most Canberrans support light rail to Woden: Poll
Support for tram lacking on southside
<www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7441882/closed-streets-as-woden-to-city-light-rail-construction-begins>

Aftershock warning after 5.9 earthquake tremor felt across Melbourne, regional Victoria. Ian Royall, Mark Buttler, Aneeka Simonis, Kieran Rooney, Tess Ikonomou, Jackie Epstein, Kiel Egging and Alexandra Middleton September 23, 2021. 628 comments
Aftershocks have continued to rock Victoria after Wednesday’s record-breaking earthquake — and more are tipped to come.
video: Melbourne has been rocked by two earthquakes with tremors being felt as far away as Sydney, Canberra and Tasmania. Victorians in the state’s northeast have felt another tremor after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday.
A 2.8 magnitude tremor was recorded at 12.09pm, lasting about 20 seconds, 10km underground at Rawson, east of Melbourne, near the site of the original quake.
Geosciences Australia geophysicist Hadi Ghasemi said more aftershocks were likely in the coming months.
More than 10 shocks have now registered in the aftermath of the major quake which was detected as far away as Adelaide, Canberra and Launceston.
Victoria could experience more aftershocks but they are unlikely to be widely felt.
The first aftershocks happened just 10 to 15 minutes after the earthquake and had magnitudes of 3.5 and 4.1.
The larger of these two rumbles were reported by more than 530 people, while the original tremor was felt by more than 41,000.
Six more aftershocks were recorded throughout the day in the Mansfield area, all with smaller magnitudes of 2.4 to 3.2.
The smallest of the aftershocks were felt up to 50km away.
The last recorded aftershock happened about 6pm on Wednesday evening and was only reported by 11 people.
Chapel St is strewn with debris after an earthquake rocked burger shop Betty’s Burgers. Picture: Mark Stewart
Senior duty seismologist Hugh Glanville said the aftershocks were felt over a much smaller area.
“The 4.1 magnitude aftershock was felt by a much smaller area, maybe a couple of hundred kilometres, but it was not felt any further than that. Magnitudes of 2.5 were only felt around 50km away,” Mr Glanville said.
The Geoscience Australia seismologist said there could be more aftershocks in the Mansfield area near the quake’s origin.
“After an earthquake you get most aftershocks straight away then they trail off,” Mr Glanville said.
“There could be more today. We are expecting magnitude twos, possibly three or four, given the current pattern.”
On Wednesday the 5.9-magnitude tremor rocked homes, rattled windows and sent workers scurrying for the fire stairs when it hit at 9.15am, reverberating for about 30 seconds.
Stock fell from supermarket shelves and businesses right across the state faced disruption to their operations.
Residents and media gather near the damaged building on Chapel St.
Another six smaller aftershocks, ranging from 2.1 to 4.1 in magnitude, were recorded later in the morning.
Vibrations were felt as far as Adelaide, Canberra and even Launceston as the shockwaves rolled out from the epicentre 10km underground in the Gaffneys Creek-Woods Point region, just south of Mansfield, 115km northeast of Melbourne.
State Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp warned that aftershocks were likely but unlikely to be as severe as the initial jolt.
The worst damage was recorded at the Betty’s Burger’s building in Chapel St, Windsor, where debris spilt on to the footpath and the roads below.
Most other damage was minor, with cases of crumbling brick chimneys, cracked walls and internal breakages recorded in homes across the city. Residents also reported birds falling silent as the ­tremor rumbled through the suburbs.
Victorian SES chief officer Tim Wiebusch said more than 108 calls for help were made to the service, mostly for help with building damage.
No one had been reported as injured.
SAFETY & SURVIVAL PROTOCOLS
Do the following if you are indoors during an earthquake:
Drop to the ground; take cover by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and hold on until the shaking stops. If there is no table or desk, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in a corner of the building.
Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.
Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.
Do not use a doorway except if you know it is a strongly supported, load-bearing doorway and it is close to you.
Do not exit a building during the shaking. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.
Do not use elevators. Be aware that electricity may go out or sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.
Do the following if you are outdoors during an earthquake:
Stay there. Move away from buildings, streetlights and utility wires.
Once in the open, remain there until the shaking stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits and alongside exterior walls.
Do the following if you are in a moving vehicle during an earthquake:
Stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Do not stop near or under buildings, trees, overpasses and utility wires.
Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges or ramps that might have been damaged.
Do the following if you are trapped under debris during or after an earthquake:
Do not light a match.
Do not move around or kick up dust.
Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing.
Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort. Shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.
After an earthquake:
It is common for aftershocks to occur. Know what to do if you are affected by an aftershock – drop, cover and hold on.
Stay safe by avoiding damaged buildings, fallen and damaged trees and powerlines, blocked or damaged roads and other hazards.
When cleaning, protect your health and safety. Wear strong boots, gloves and protective clothing and wash your hands and clothes regularly.
Electricity, gas and water supplies may be disrupted. If your property has been damaged, have all utilities checked and tested by a licensed technician before you use them.
*Source: Victoria State Emergency Service
“If the earthquake occurred in a densely populated urban area, it would have been a different result,” Mr Wiebusch said.
Seismology Research Centre senior seismologist Wayne Peck confirmed that the quake was the biggest recorded in Victoria since such events were measured.
Australia’s most deadly quake, on December 28, 1989, in Newcastle had a magnitude of 5.4. Because its epicentre was close to urban areas, the disaster killed 13 people, ­injured more than 160 and left a $4 billion damage bill.
“We’re fortunate it happened near Woods Point. It’s a much more remote area than Newcastle was,” Mr Peck said. The previous strongest quake recorded in the state was at Mt Hotham in May 1966 and had a magnitude of 5.7.
Power was lost to more than 35,000 Victorian homes in metropolitan Melbourne and the northeast of the state. Most were back online by midafternoon.
All Victorian magistrates’ courts were ­advised to evacuate and remain empty for an hour after the earthquake.
“It’s not a bad job but I don’t want to die for it,” a Bendigo magistrate said as he rushed out of the courtroom.
Maintenance crews work on overhead power lines on Chapel St. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
A heavily damaged building. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
Collins Square at Docklands was evacuated when the quake rattled the 33-storey building. One worker said the building began to shake and she considered diving under the desk.
Another employee said they thought “a truck had hit the building”. Another city worker said they were on the first level of a building and said that concrete pillars “moved six inches”.
“All the buildings were moving, I s--- myself,” the worker said.
Deputy Premier James Merlino said buildings had been damaged in Mansfield, while the Beechworth hospital lost power. Helicopters were dispatched to conduct aerial surveillance for any further damage.
One of the crosses on top of St Patrick’s Church in Wangaratta fell to the ground.
Mr Wiebusch urged residents to remember to “drop, cover and hold” in the event of any future shocks.
Emergency crews survey the damage on Chapel St. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
Debris is strewn across Wattle St in Prahran. Picture: Mark Stewart
“It’s important to remain calm, but vigilant. Aftershocks can continue to occur for some time after the main earthquake, if you are located in Victoria, you need to know what to do,’’ he said.
“Expect aftershocks, and ensure to stay away from damaged buildings and other hazards.”
Deputy chief health officer Deb Friedman confirmed that positive Covid-19 cases, and people who were in quarantine or isolation, could leave their homes if the structure became unsafe.
“People’s safety always comes first,” Professor Friedman.
“If they need to leave the premises of where they are, we just ask them to please ­remember to take a mask, but their safety comes first and we understand there may be reasons why people may need to leave the place that they were previously isolating.”
WHAT CAUSED DRAMATIC QUAKE
The dramatic tremors that rocked homes and buildings in Melbourne was likely caused by Australia’s continent edging north and crunching into Asia Pacific nations.
Curtin University’s structural geologist, Professor Chris Elders, said Australia is moving away from Antarctica at 7cm a year — rapid speed in geology terms — unsettling plates surrounding the nation and forcing the earth under our feet to move at regular intervals.
“Indian Ocean is getting bigger and we’re colliding with Indonesia, Timor and New Guinea to the north,” he told NCA NewsWire.
“So all those boundaries produce stresses that get transmitted through the crust and then when they hit a weak fault, the fault moves and causes the earthquake.”
Australians are more acquainted with seasonal disasters, such as fires, floods and cyclones, with earthquakes closely linked with California, Japan and the Pacific.
But the Curtin University academic said shakes across the country were surprisingly frequent.
He said quakes of this magnitude recorded in Victoria on Wednesday occurred about every five years, but there is a shake of three or more magnitude detected once a week.
“If you look at a map of the distribution of earthquakes, they’re occurring in all the states,” Prof Elders said.
“That is a reflection of the fact that Australia is a very ancient bit of continental crust. So there’s lots of fault lines and lines of weakness that kind of fail when the stresses build up.
“It’s a combination of the plate boundaries all the way around Australia, and the abundance of lines of weakness within the ancient Australian crust can fail and cause earthquakes to occur.”
Fallen brickwork in a laneway off Chapel St in Prahran. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
Chapel St remains closed after an earthquake hit Melbourne on Wednesday morning. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
RUSH OF INSURANCE CLAIMS
The nation’s biggest general insurer has received more than 430 claims related to the Victorian earthquake.
It comes as many of central Melbourne’s 19th-century buildings are checked for damage and potential collapse in the aftermath.
Older structures in inner Melbourne were identified as most vulnerable, prompting probes from council officers and building inspectors.
Insurance Australia Group on Thursday said it was too early to determine the full financial impact of the event as customers continued to contact it.
The insurer had logged 435 personal and commercial claims related to the earthquake across its various brands by 9am Thursday.
IAG chief Nick Hawkins said Covid restrictions could result in it taking longer than usual for commercial customers to identify damage.
“Our dedicated major event team is in place all year round to ensure we’re as well prepared as possible to support our customers following a natural disaster,” Mr Hawkins said.
A person inspects for damage at a building on the corner of Chapel and High streets. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
“We encourage our customers who have suffered damage to their homes or properties to contact us to lodge their claim, so we can provide immediate support such as emergency make-safe repairs and temporary accommodation, as quickly as possible.”
IAG’s key brands in Victoria include RACV and CGU.
Covid vaccination and testing clinics being run out of the Prahran Town Hall, built in 1861, and Malvern Town Hall (1886) were closed as a precaution with no structural damage evident.
They have since reopened on Thursday and are operating as normal after being given the all-clear late Wednesday.
A City of Melbourne spokesman said homes and businesses across the council area had escaped relatively unscathed.
A brick chimney crumbled on top of a house in Kensington, with SES crews called to make the property safe. Damage was also reported to homes in Ascot Vale, Prahran, Parkdale, Elsternwick, West Melbourne and Balwyn.
City of Port Phillip closed its council-run childcare centres, libraries and town halls as a precaution.
A crowd gathers to view the wreckage. Picture: Mark Stewart
Melburnians survey the damage at a building in Chapel St in Prahran. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
Melburnians survey the damage at a building in Chapel St in Prahran. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
HOW QUAKE FELT AT EPICENTRE
Victorian High Country legend Charlie Lovick was out on his horse on Wednesday morning when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit the area sending shakes across southeast Australia.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life,” said the Merrijig cattleman, who was Master of Horse for the film The Man from Snowy River.
“The horse shook that much, a lesser rider would have fallen off.
“I thought the horse was having a hissy fit and he thought I was having a hissy fit, too.”
Read the full story here.
video: Mt Buller shakes during earthquake. Skiers faced a few extra challenges this morning when an earthquake struck south of Mt Buller.
FLASH ON SCREEN FRIGHTS AND EXCITES
The first clue National Earthquake Alert Centre received about Victoria’s ground-shaking event was when a computer screen began flashing.
There is no way to accurately predict earthquakes, so the federal government’s geoscience team cannot know about a tremor until a seismometer records it.
Geoscience Australia seismologist Spiro Spiliopoulos said the expert on duty on Wednesday morning would have seen their screen light up with a “large event”.
“Soon after that they would have located it automatically, it would have flashed up in front of them, and then they have to look at it and quickly confirm that it’s a real event,” Mr Spiliopoulos said.
A graph shows the earthquake’s tremor on Wednesday. Picture: Seismology Research Centre
“We’ve got tools that allow us to send information to Emergency Management Australia and the state emergency centres, then we post it online to make it publicly available.”
Most of the time, the alert centre is reasonably quiet.
A team of eight seismologists, rostered on 24 hours a day, keep a constant eye on tremors around the country and, more frequently, off the Australian coastline.
But there was a bit more excitement on Wednesday.
It was both a “frightening” and “exciting” morning for Mr Spiliopoulos – being part of the team to investigate the biggest earthquake on record in Victoria.
The job, however, was made somewhat more difficult by the fact only one person was at the alert centre, which otherwise would have been a hive of activity, while everyone else worked from home.
The building looks set to collapse after the quake. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
People evacuate a building in Southbank after the tremor was felt.
People regroup outside their buildings after the tremor was felt in Melbourne. Picture: Nicki Connolly
“First it was a surprise because it was a rare event,” he said. “Then it became quite, what’s the word – I won’t say chaotic but it became terribly busy as I tried to get on to where it was and how big it was and what people were feeling and stuff like that.”
Such large earthquakes come with a short but intense buzz at the alert centre.
“The thing with earthquakes is that they come out of nowhere,” he said.
Most of the alert centre’s day-to-day work involves monitoring earthquakes in the Indian and Pacific oceans to assess whether they could pose any kind of tsunami threat to Australia.
Mr Spiliopoulos said researchers would now deploy specialist equipment to the Mansfield area to pick up aftershocks.
An engineering group would also be sent out to assess how much damage the shake caused.
A car at the scene seems to have escaped severe damage. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake
Locals view the damage. Picture: William West
HOW THE WORLD REPORTED ON QUAKE
The rare and powerful earthquake that rocked Melbourne has been widely reported by the world’s media as one that largely left Australians “surprisingly unfazed”.
BBC reported that “the Australian city of Melbourne experienced its strongest earthquake in more than a century on Wednesday – but many people appeared surprisingly unfazed”.
“One resident said he thought the 5.9 magnitude quake was his neighbours doing a ‘high intensity workout’,” it said.
“Another leapt up to make sure his drinks were not spilt.”
Daily Mail UK reported that “Australians have flocked to social media with hilarious reactions after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Melbourne and the nation’s southeast”.
Read the full story here.
More Coverage
Biggest five earthquakes to rock Victoria
Quake worth the weight for peninsula shop
Funny earthquake memes that rocked Victoria
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/earthquake-tremor-felt-across-melbourne-and-regional-victoria/news-story/f8dca1048e48a500e3308dabedfdb1c1>

How the world reported on Melbourne’s earthquake: ‘Australians surprisingly unfazed’. Megan Palin September 23, 2021 News Corp Australia Network [with ATN]
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/how-the-world-reported-on-melbournes-earthquake-australians-surprisingly-unfazed/news-story/c7cf9a3c29f6884cabfc405bf940a26d>