The Melbourne chapter of the nationwide March in March featured speeches on indigenous rights, education funding and university cuts.
But the event, which organisers say is a grassroots, non-partisan peaceful protest, represented a grab-bag of issues.
Signs in Melbourne read: "Transit not tolls" and "Turn back the AbBoat".
Unions were present, as were ordinary families.
Shauna Burstin and daughter Mikhayla, 8, came to express their support for same-sex marriage.
Blackburn couple Dyan and Andrew brought their three kids Dylan, Harper and Marlo because they thought it was important to teach their children not to stay silent if they don't agree with the government.
"I'm not going to treat refugees as second-class citizens," Dyan told AAP.
"I've never been moved as much by any other government in my life as this to protest."
Seventeen thousand people said on Facebook they would attend the Melbourne event and 11,700 said they would march in Sydney.
Canberra organiser Loz Lawrey said the event, which started as a conversation between a handful of people on Facebook in January, now has more than 45,000 supporters.
Victoria Police said they weren't expecting 17,000 protesters for the Melbourne rally but had allocated resources to the event.
About 30 rallies were held during the weekend, including in regional cities on Saturday and state capitals on Sunday.
The event will culminate on Monday when protesters deliver a notice of no confidence to Parliament House.
Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten distanced himself from the rally, telling reporters the Labor Party was not formally involved.
"But I do get people want to express their views. It's a free country," Mr Shorten said.
The invitation to march, circulated via social media, calls on people to "participate in democracy".
"Democracy doesn't end at the ballot box," the invitation says.
"It is the right, if not duty, of all Australians to hold our elected representatives to account; to remind them that they are, above all else, public servants."
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