MH17 service a sombre, uniting moment

Members of the public are showing solidarity with friends and families of the victims of MH17 at a memorial service for the doomed flight.

People arriving at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne described the service as a sombre and uniting moment.

"It's a sombre occasion and it means a lot," Sydney resident Kerrie Dunn told AAP on her way into the service.

"It helps to bring the nation together and the people together."

Mrs Dunn said she did not personally know anyone lost in the downing of the flight "but I think that it's a global thing. You feel for everybody, and all the relatives that lost somebody on the flight.

"Those people were, I'm sure, eager to get to their homes and families and continue on with their lives, and they have been cut very short."

Mrs Dunn said she also wanted to pay tribute to the workers who had risked their lives to recover the bodies in eastern Ukraine, and to investigate the crash site.

Wayne Kang, an international student studying in Melbourne, met other students to walk into the cathedral as a group.

He lost a loved one in the disaster.

"It's a sense of respect, I think, and not just for the family that we lost. It's for everyone on the plane," Mr Kang said.

"It's a moment we can all have, to remember this day."

Another man who wanted only to be described only as a mourner said the downing of flight MH17 was a "despicable" act.