Between 100 and 200 protesters marched through the centre of Canberra on Friday evening before staging a "die in" on the junction of Northbourne Avenue and London Circuit.
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The protest was loud but good-natured. It culminated at a rally where protesters lay on the ground to symbolise the casualties they say climate change will soon bring.
Some motorists delayed by the march said they supported the aims of the marchers who had blocked their route.
Organiser Kim Stern, who is a student at the Australian National University, estimated the numbers at from 150 to 200.
He thought the protest had achieved something by showing the "collective power of movements". He was pleased at the media attention the movement had attracted.
The organisers said the aim of "Extinction Rebellion ACT" was to "swarm the city to keep pressure on the government to show leadership in taking action against the climate crisis".
The protesters massed outside the Canberra Centre before marching through it, chanting to the accompaniment of 10 drummers.
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They shouted: "The oceans are rising. No more compromising", "No planet. No future" and similar slogans.
Banners said, "Climate emergency, act now" and "Why haven't we started mining space instead of the earth?"
Most Friday evening shoppers looked bemused as the protesters marched loudly in front of them and then out of the crowded shopping centre. There was some raucous joshing from drinkers in some of the bars but no obvious hostility.
One cyclist seemed determined to ride through the protesters but mostly, road users were patient.
Car drivers were friendly even as they were delayed.
"I think this is a good thing. It's time our politicians did something about climate change," said Ahmed Haji as he tapped his driving wheel and waited. "I will be patient and wait until the protest is done."
I think this is a good thing. It's time our politicians did something about climate change.
- Driver Ahmed Haji, sitting in his car, waiting for the march to pass
"We're trying to get to a restaurant but they have a right to protest," said a lady who didn't want to be identified.
The protest was orderly, with the police seeming to know the route. Diversions had been set up so stretches of road were cleared.
Protesters were of all ages, with a predominance of younger people.
At the junction of London Circuit and Northbourne Avenue, a string of speakers, mostly students either from school or the ANU, addressed the meeting. The speeches widened from climate change to gay and Aboriginal rights.
Some marchers said the aim was to make a noise to prompt the federal government into action.
It is not clear how much disruption Canberra protesters want to cause.
In London, a protester climbed on the roof of a train and halted it during the rush hour, to the anger of commuters.
Some Canberra protesters said they didn't endorse that level of disruption - though one of the next protests will be timed for the morning rush hour.
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
