A small earthquake measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale has been recorded in Melbourne.

The tremor, which struck Port Phillip Bay, was felt across south-eastern suburbs just after 7:00pm (AEDT).

Senior seismologist with Environmental Systems and Services, Gary Gibson, says it is unusual for an earthquake to hit so close to the city.

"In Melbourne, quite rare. In Victoria as a whole we'd get an earthquake of this size about every six weeks," he said.

"Most of them are in remote areas and a lot of them aren't even felt.

"We had one only a couple of weeks back in Pearcedale, north of Hastings, a place that also had a few there last September."

Mr Gibson says the tremor would have been felt across the south-eastern suburbs from Frankston to St Kilda.

"The depth was probably about 10 kilometres beneath the surface," he said.

"The actual rupture for an earthquake of this size would've taken place in less than a tenth of a second."

June in Parkdale said her body shook when the tremor struck.

"I heard the roof of my house ... I thought there was either thunder or 15 possums up there," she said.

"I literally saw my feet move on my floor and I thought, 'gee that's definitely not possums, that's an earthquake'."