A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck in the east of Papua New Guinea early on Tuesday morning local time, according to the US Geological Survey.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology says it was felt all the way in far North Queensland.
The USGS-linked Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there is no tsunami threat after the quake.
The quake struck 33km from the town of Bulolo, according to the US Geological Survey, and was felt in the capital of Port Moresby about 250 kilometres away.
The epicentre of the strong quake was 127km below the surface, the USGS said, in a region some 66 km southwest of the town of Lae at the eastern edge of the mountainous country.
There were no immediate reports of damage. The fire department in Lae said no one had yet called in to report damage or injuries so far following the quake.
The Moresby-based National Disaster Management office said there had been no immediate reports of damage but news from the quake zone could take time to trickle in.
"We are awaiting assessments," a spokesman told AFP.
The country's rugged highlands region was hit by a 7.5-magnitude quake in February last year that buried homes and triggered landslides, killing at least 125 people.
The scale of that disaster did not become apparent for days due to PNG's poor communications and infrastructure.
There are regular earthquakes in Papua New Guinea, which sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire - a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.
