A sea of over 600 people dressed in white have walked up the Port Macquarie coast to take a stand against domestic violence.
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The annual Coastal Walk Against Domestic and Family Violence officially kicked off at Lighthouse Beach at 8am on Sunday, December 3.
For domestic violence charity The Lokahi Foundation CEO Rachael Natoli, its an important event.
"There have been over 55 women murdered this year so far in Australia," Ms Natoli said in her speech before the walk.
"It's not just statistics.
"There are actual women [who have been] murdered that aren't going to be spending Christmas with their families."
Ms Natoli, who now lives in Sydney, spoke at the coastal walk in 2019 and has shared her story as a victim survivor of domestic violence.
Other victim survivors also spoke before the walk including Birpai elder Aunty Rhonda Radley who performed the welcome to country.
"I challenge you to walk your talk [and] talk your walk," she told the crowd.
"This is the only way it stops. It stops with us."
This year the event has had one of the biggest recorded number of participants with over 600 people registering to walk from either Lighthouse Beach, Flynns Beach or Town Beach to finish at Westport Park.
From community donations alone, over $7,700 have been raised for Liberty Domestic and Family Violence, the organisers of the walk.
The official amount raised from sponsors and community donations is yet to be confirmed.
Member for Port Macquarie Leslie Williams who officially opened the walk noted the large number of people attending.
"Every year I come out here and I feel so buoyed that we live in a community that is so passionate about really critical issues like domestic and family violence," she said.
Ms Williams is also the Shadow Minister for Women, Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, and Aboriginal Affairs.
"It absolutely just does my head in that we are in a society where these sort of tragedies happen," she said.
"But we can get it but we will have to do it together...united and this is the start of it as we walk off together today as one."
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Emily Walker
Reporter at Macleay Argus and Port Macquarie News.
Reporter at Macleay Argus and Port Macquarie News.
