Daniella Olea can still recall her father's haunting stories living under Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile in the 1970s.

Key points: Thousands of Chilean-Australians are protesting in solidarity with Chile

Thousands of Chilean-Australians are protesting in solidarity with Chile Australian survivors of Pinochet's dictatorship feel a sense of re-traumatisation

Australian survivors of Pinochet's dictatorship feel a sense of re-traumatisation Chilean-Australian groups call on the Australian Government to condemn the violence

"I remember my dad told me a story about that era," she said.

"They [the military] would grab a handkerchief of a political activist and smell it and say to the other soldiers: 'This is the smell of a communist, if you smell this, you shoot on sight'."

Reminiscent of Pinochet's dictatorship, the heavy military presence in Chile, amid almost one month of protests, worries the Olea family.

"We don't want Chile to ever go back to that era. It was so dark and horrific," Ms Olea said.

Daniella (right) says her father (left) fled Chile and sought political refuge in New Zealand to escape Pinochet's rule. ( Supplied: Daniella Olea )

Protests in Chile first erupted after a pushback against a hike in public transport costs but had been brewing for a while, eventually morphing into a widespread anti-government movement.

There were not many options for Daniela's parents back then, who — as political activists — felt they had no choice but to flee the country.

Her parents and four older siblings sought political asylum in New Zealand before later migrating to Australia.

Many Chileans fled the country to Australia during that time, including former two-time Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, who is now the United Nations' human rights chief.

During a solidarity march this week in Melbourne, many Chilean-Australians told the ABC they felt the impact of Chile's recent unrest deeply.

None more so than the community elders who survived Pinochet's dictatorship. They are now grappling with what they describe as a "re-traumatisation".

During Pinochet's rule, it is estimated more than 3,000 people died or disappeared, and thousands more were tortured or went into exile.

"Still to this day, many people are still unaccounted for, it was horrific. It silenced the people and made them fearful to do anything else," Ms Olea said.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 35 seconds 35 s Police fire tear gas, water cannons as protests continue in Chile

Now living in Melbourne, Ms Olea has been front and centre at many of the Chilean-Australian organised protests.

While she wishes she could have been hand-in-hand with the protesters in Chile, she is proud to stand with them in spirit.

"Chile has woken up, Chile has had enough. We are with them here in Australia," she said.

'A whole generation of people' still recovering from Pinochet

Several protests in Melbourne and Sydney were organised by Chilean-Australian community groups. ( Supplied : Julio Altamirano )

Thousands of Chilean-Australians have taken to the streets in Melbourne and Sydney to march in solidarity with the people in Chile.

"Our parents, our grandparents, they've all had mental health issues [after escaping Pinochet's dictatorship]," 31-year-old Melbourne rally organiser Valentina Zoe Amigo told the ABC.

"They're extremely concerned and scared, or over-reactive. You have a whole generation of people who've recovered from this era."

Before she became Chile's first female president, Michelle Bachelet — whose father was loyal to the former president and refused to join the 1973 coup — fled Pinochet's rule as a teenager and sought political asylum in Australia.

Who is Michelle Bachelet? Ms Bachelet fled Pinochet's dictatorship for Australia before becoming Chile's first female president — twice. Read more Read more

In an interview with Australian media, Ms Bachelet said it was important that Chile did not forget the crimes of the past and worked to ensure they did not happen again.

In an open letter, Chilean-Australian protesters called on the Australian Government to address the Chilean Government and President Sebastian Pinera for creating a situation of "crisis and extreme violence in Chile".

"We strongly reject the anti-democratic practices that the Armed Forces are using to impose 'peace' by using violence and force. The Government has paralysed the country with this climate of violence," the letter said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been contacted for comment but did not respond by the time of publication.

Organisers have said they will continue to march in solidarity with Chile as long as the country's protests continue.

The marches consist of elder community members, students on visas, and younger generation Chilean-Australians, who are all passionate about creating awareness.

"It's so beautiful to see that we are all standing with them in Australia. We lost fear, we're loving each other again and that's beautiful," Ms Amigo told the ABC.

"The Chilean cause is something very important to the whole world because Chile is the best example of [what neo-liberalism really looks like] today."