Aunty Tracey Hanshaw and her family used to hide at home on January 26.
"I wouldn't let my kids go out that day. We wouldn't go to the beach like we would normally go to. It just did not feel safe," the Awabakal Gaewegal elder said.
"We couldn't wear any pride [or] have an Indigenous print hat.
"We'd get followed around Woolies by security just for picking up and buying our bread and milk or people looking us up and down."
It was not until Aunty Tracey started organising a march and beach gathering in Newcastle, now attended by thousands, that she knew it was time to stop hiding.
"We needed to do something to help mob feel safe on January 26," she said.
She said the event let Indigenous people reflect on how life was changed by "the invasion" and "how lucky they are today at the cost of that".
'The most racist year' since the 1970s
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people around the country are marking January 26 in their own ways.
For some, it is a quiet day of mourning while others will join in protest marches or festivals.
This Australia Day comes a little over three months since the Voice referendum was defeated.
Aunty Tracey said last year was "the most racist year I've experienced since the 1970s, and it hasn't quelled".
She was feeling energised this year, but said others may still be hurting from the referendum result.
"If your mental health says you need to stay home and look after yourself, then that's okay," she said.
This year's event in Newcastle has been upgraded with a festival at Foreshore Park called AwabaMi — a nod to the traditional owners of the area, Awabakal and Worimi people.
"We have thousands and thousands of people there and probably 95 per cent of them are non-Indigenous walking with us in Newcastle," Aunty Tracey said.
A celebration of Indigenous culture
Wiradjuri man and social media star Isaac Compton is an MC at this year's Yabun festival in Redfern.
He said, rather than mourning, he saw the day as an opportunity to celebrate "everything that is black".
"It's a day for mob and non-Indigenous people to come together and celebrate the true history of Australia," he said.
"It's important to keep that going and to show the next generation to raise them in it, and to show the rest of Australia that this is a proud culture."
Mr Compton believed the attitude towards January 26 had shifted in recent years.
"This date has such a dark history behind it. I feel like mobs are starting to take that space back," he said.
"They're reclaiming this date as a day of celebration of who we are as a people, as opposed to old Jimmy Cook — and that was the day that he discovered Australia."
Mr Compton has used his growing social media base to make memes and videos exploring culture.
"I'm super proud to be a black man. And you know, if that annoys people then I must be doing my job right," he said.
A time to reflect
Black Dog Institute psychologist and Gamilaroi man Clinton Schultz said Australia Day could be "a really painful day" for many First Nations people, including him.
"My direct lineage experienced significant trauma," he said.
"There was a massacre that actually occurred in 1838 on January 26 on my country.
"That's just one of many, many, many stories around the country."
Dr Schultz said it was up to each Indigenous person to decide how best to mark the day, and it was okay to keep it quiet.
"I think this year may be particularly heightened experiences for people, given the outcomes of the referendum late last year," he said.
"They're still in the process of trying to heal from that moment and from the stress that was caused throughout the entire process.
"I think the most important thing is that we don't allow ourselves to get caught up with anger."
He said it was important for everyone to practice self-care.
"I like being out in the bush. And so I've been ensuring that, particularly since post referendum, I've been scheduling that time into my diary," Dr Schultz said.
"The real key ingredient is allowing ourselves the space and the time to do those things and to not think that's selfish."