Many of the marchers have dressed in black to symbolise the mourning felt by the Indigenous community. One organiser said: "Be ashamed of yourself, celebrating genocide. We should do nothing but continue to mourn this day." Protesters making their way through the CBD. Credit:Gene Efron Uncle Bill Nicholson opened the rally with a welcome to Wurundjeri country. ‘‘I’m so proud to have such a mob of us out here today and also our non-Indigenous mob because we need your support too,’’ he said.

‘‘People are starting to connect, people are starting to understand. ‘‘Welcome to Wurundjeri. Welcome to Wurundjeri country. Have a deadly day.’’ Protesters carry a coffin down Bourke Street. Credit:Chris Hopkins Uncle Larry Walsh said the rally is not about moving Australia Day, but about abolishing it. ‘‘Until there is something we can be proud of, something we can get behind,’’ he said.

An 'invasion day' protester in Melbourne. Credit:Chris Hopkins Far-right groups the True Blue Crew and United Patriots Front could make an appearance at the CBD rally and are also planning a "beach party" in St Kilda for Friday afternoon. Another potential Australia Day flashpoint was Coburg Town Hall, where right-wing identity Neil Erikson attempted to gatecrash a citizenship ceremony held by Moreland City Council in protest at their decision to no longer recognise Australia Day. Mr Erikson, draped in an Australian flag, was joined by six other protestors, who were far outnumbered by a solid presence of police officers and private security staff. The group was not allowed entry into the hall and instead stood out the front handing out flyers to people attending the ceremony and ‘‘welcoming’’ them as immigrants to Australia.

Mr Erikson, who has been convicted of racial vilification, filmed the protest on his phone. Far-right agitator Neil Erikson has been barred from entering Moreland City Council's citizenship ceremony in Coburg. Credit:Tom Cowie He left soon after the ceremony started and has tweeted that he plans to attend the ‘invasion day’ rally in the city and the far-right barbecue in St Kilda. The decision by Moreland to no longer recognise Australia Day caused uproar when it was announced last year. But unlike nearby Darebin and Yarra councils, which have boycotted Australia Day, it chose to continue holding citizenship ceremonies on January 26.

There was a heavy police presence at Coburg Town Hall. Credit:AAP While he did not specifically mention the decision, Mayor John Kavanagh told the audience that he acknowledged that ‘‘today is a difficult day for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’’. Earlier in the day, crowds lined to Swanston Street for the official Australia Day parade, with more than 1000 participants from Melbourne’s varied cultural groups taking part. Among them, adding a flourish of colour and panache, are beauty queen contestants vying for the titles of Miss Gay and Miss Transsexual Australia. Aboriginal academic and female impersonator Harley Dunolly-Lee, 27, will be part of the group for the first time — going under the stage name Ana Diction.

Police have said they they will be taking a "zero tolerance" approach to any Audtralia Day violence and will be on high alert for racially fuelled tensions that could escalate into dangerous brawls. Police are out in force in the CBD. Credit:AAP Deputy Victoria Police Commissioner Andrew Crisp said on Thursday that hundreds of extra officers, including specialist police forces, will be patrolling Melbourne's CBD, St Kilda beach foreshore, and across the state. “Our focus will be on ensuring the safety of the entire community," Mr Crisp said. “We need all Victorians to reflect on their own behaviour and whether they might be disrupting the safety and enjoyment of those around them.”

This year's "invasion day" march commemorates the first "Day of Mourning" 80 years ago. On January 26, 1938, Yorta Yorta man William Cooper, with William Ferguson and John Patten, led a group of Aboriginal people calling for an end to celebrations marking the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. It was described as the first Aboriginal civil rights protest in Australian history. The congress walked in silent mourning from Sydney Town Hall to Australia Hall. What they said

William Morgan, 48, Gippsland William Morgan. Credit:Gene Hopkins "It's great to see the numbers here, white and black, it’s something I’ve never seen before, it’s brought a tear to my eye. "I just hope white Australia and black Australia can come together one day and understand each other." Dinah Pitman, 71, Brunswick

Dinah Pitman. Credit:Gene Efron "I’m here because Aboriginal people have been downtrodden for so long and we’re benefiting from having pushed them off their land. Change the date!" Dr Gregory Philips, 44, St Kilda Dr Gregory Philips. Credit:Gene Efron "We’re saying to white Australia that they need to wake up, that without Aboriginal knowledge they won’t survive climate change, and that Aboriginal people are the original landowners, and we are still landowners."

Maddie Spencer, 21, Northcote Maddie Spencer. Credit:Gene Efron "I’m here today because I think the way Indigenous people are treated in this country is unjust, and we want to do as much as we can to change that, coming here is a pretty small thing in the face of everything that they’ve experienced. "I was pretty upset at the start when I heard Indigenous elders and people who organised the rally talk about what they’ve been through." Jasper (16) and Ian (53) Hamm, Yarraville

Ian and Jasper Hamm Credit:Gene Efron Ian: "As an Aboriginal family we have a firm belief and a real emotional attachment about moving this day, to make a day that all Australians can gather around about going forward, not being anchored in the past, and that’s what this day does." Jasper: ‘‘My parents made me come, but I think it’s important.’’ Philippa Day, 46, Coburg North Philippa Day. Credit:Gene Efron

"I’m here because as a white Australian I think I need to support my fellow Australians of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island descent because it’s their country that we’re lucky to be a part of now. "I think we need to stand up for equality and respect for all Australians and find a day that we can celebrate that isn’t January 26.’’ Liam, 26, Preston Liam from Preston. Credit:Gene Efron "I’m here supporting Indigenous people because it’s a day of mourning.