A small aftershock has been felt almost 12 hours after a 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck the NSW Hunter region.

The first quake hit at 2.55am, and sent shockwaves spanning the coast from Taree down to Wollongong, including Sydney.

The first quake struck 10km underneath the town of Singleton, west of Newcastle and about 200km north of Sydney.

He said the quake, which was felt as far as the Queensland border and in Canberra, was centred in an earthquake-prone part of Australia.

“We have had a large number of earthquakes in that Hunter Valley region, mostly up towards Muswellbrook.

“There have been two earthquakes of this size there over the past year, and then many more that were smaller than that.”

In 1989, a 5.6 magnitude earthquake in Newcastle killed 13 people and devastated the city.

Numerous residents throughout Sydney experienced their homes shaking during the night, with the majority of the vibrations being noted in the Wentworth Point suburb.

Police say there are no initial reports of injuries or damage in the Hunter region.

The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre said the quake was not a tsunami threat to the Australian mainland, islands or territories.