Under a sea of umbrellas and ponchos up to 10,000 protesters gathered in rainy Sydney to demand action by the federal government on climate change.
The National Day of Climate Action on Sunday was organised by activist groups including GetUp and the rally in Sydney's Prince Alfred Park was one of more than 130 protests around the country.
Members of the crowd carried placards with slogans such as, "There's no Planet B", "My world in your hands", "One Climate, Our Future" and "Aim Higher on Climate".
Huddling under a tree during a downpour, Keelah Lam, a zero waste activist from Manly, said: "It should be called climate chaos rather than global warming, because there is freaky weather all over the globe, and not just here."
A longtime activist, Mrs Lam and her husband Ahlek Lam had brought their two granddaughters, Stella Browne, 6, and her sister, Mira, 4, to the rally dressed in bright yellow and pink raincoats with a matching umbrella.
"These things are happening faster and faster," Mrs Lam said.
"And I know that the insurance companies have been asking the government to do something about climate change because claims are going up and up."
In Port Macquarie, around 200 people from the Hastings, Macleay and Manning areas gathered by the side of the Macleay River in orange and red clothing and accessories colours synonmous with burning and increasing temperatures
The local gathering was organised by the Hastings branch of Climate Change Australia (CCA) and online activist group GetUp! as a celebration of the National Day of Climate Action.
Port Macquarie doctor Tim, who did not wish to give his surname, brought his pregnant partner and young son to the rally because they regularly support GetUp!
"We get their newsletter and we thought it was important to all be here today," he said.
The immediate relevance of climate change for families and young children was supported by World War Two veteran Charles Granquist. The 92-year-old Port Macquarie resident recently published his second book, Until The Little Birds Sing, which is a work of fiction that explores a not-too-distant future plagued by drought and economic depression.
"This is a beautiful day to contemplate the possibilty that this kind of world may not continue," Mr Granquist said.
"We moved to Port Macquarie because it had the best climate of anywhere I'd ever been, but I guarantee your children will not be able to enjoy this kind of a world if our leaders continue to cop out."
Nearly 400 people braved the wet weather to gather at Wollongong’s Flagstaff Hill, while about 300 gathered under the railway sheds at Newcastle Foreshore Park on Sunday for a rally.
