Thousands march in Melb on 'Invasion Day'

Celebrating Australia Day on January 26 is like celebrating September 11, says one of the thousands who rallied against 'Invasion Day' in Melbourne.

About 3000 people gathered at Parliament House before the crowd swelled, gathering numbers as it moved to the official Australia Day parade route that had finished half an hour earlier.

"We don't celebrate September 11, we don't celebrate Hiroshima - it's pretty stupid to celebrate today," Michael Polanske told AAP on Thursday.