Mysterious bangs and vibrations in the North East have rattled residents

A Border Mail investigation into the noise and vibrations some residents said had rattled their windows and roofs from Chiltern to Rutherglen, ruled out mining activity or earth tremors.

Goldmining exploration companies E79 and Gladiator Resources admitted to conducting activities in the region. E79 chairman Shane Mele said: "We have been drilling up to 300 metres deep north of Bright but it wouldn't cause any noises or vibrations.

"We don't vibrate - you could be standing two metres away from the drill, and you wouldn't feel anything and the procedure makes very little noise.

"If it's not seismic activity, and it's certainly not our drilling, I would lean towards perhaps some blasting at a quarry site but I don't know about any quarries doing that in the areas the noises were heard."

Gladiator chairman Ian Hastings said the company had been conducting aerial magnetic surveys but had done nothing that would rattle anyone's windows.

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Indigo mayor Bernard Gaffney said he knew about mining activities north of Bright but said he was convinced the drilling activities would not be heard as far as Rutherglen.

"I heard someone at the Violet Town farmers market looked up in the sky last week and saw what she thought was a meteorite - but that's 100 kilometres away," Mr Gaffney said.

"I understand there is a major fault line called the Kancoona near the areas where the noises were reported."

Geoscience Australia confirmed there had been no seismic activity in the area over the past week.

Riverina astronomer Michael Maher said he had not heard of any reports of meteorites falling in that area in the past week, but believed it was a logical explanation, especially if people's window frames were rattling.

"The sonic boom from meteor entries can certainly make a thunderous sound," Mr Maher said.

"People go out searching for big craters but the reality is that these things are usually about the size of house bricks - you might find a bit of burnt grass, but no crater."

Nearly 100 residents in Wangaratta, Chiltern and Rutherglen all had theories as to what was shaking them up.

One posting on the Wangaratta community board said: "Apparently they are blasting for gold."

Another said a gas fracking exploration was using explosive bore hole surveys, while another quoted a local radio station as reporting a meteor had entered the atmosphere somewhere in northern vic.

"The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one," one who was clearly a HG Wells fan said.

A netizen on the Chiltern community board said the noise last Tuesday "sounded like something running on the roof of the house"

Another said: "I did see a rather large scope/bore type instrument on a truck this morning heading down Main St."

On the Bright and District community board on Tuesday one asked: "Did anyone else hear the weird thunder-like noise around five minutes ago?"

"I've heard it twice in Bright! Thought it was another earthquake/tremor," another netizen posted.

One said on Tuesday: "I heard it in One Mile Creek today and earlier this week."

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