Christian worshippers have flocked to church services across Australia to hear religious leaders mark Good Friday with messages of faith, hope and love.
Thousands attended services and Stations of the Cross processions throughout the day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
In Melbourne on Friday morning, the faithful travelled to the CBD and gathered for a peaceful pilgrimage through the city streets.
The Way of the Cross walk is one of the city's most distinctive Good Friday events and has been a tradition in Melbourne for more than two decades.
Organised by the ecumenical group Melbourne City Churches in Action, the event involves more than a dozen parishes and marks a re-enactment of the final journey of Jesus to his crucifixion and burial.
Reverend Doctor Sandy Yule said the event, while sombre, reflected the contemporary strength of the bonds between different denominations.
"[It's] certainly not good to be standing apart when we don't have to," he said.
"We think that God's purposes are best served by working together and loving each other, not by standing apart and even hating and fighting as we have done in the past at times."
At the St Nicholas of Myra church in Penrith, Sydney, Catholics also observed a Way of the Cross event.
They filled the pews and an alcove at the back overflowed, as Father Chukwunonyerem Akamadu talked them through Jesus's final journey through the streets of Jerusalem.
The congregation prayed, recited Bible verses and reflected on the tribulations Jesus encountered at each station, before relating the lessons to the challenges people face every day.
Meanwhile, the Uniting Church's moderator for New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Simon Hansford, said Easter was an opportunity to reflect on the gospel message's contemporary relevance.
"People who find themselves marginalised — this story speaks to them," he said.
"The LGBTIQ community who are being told — the trans community who are being told — they have no place or they don't belong or they aren't fully human or some ridiculous obscenity like that, we want to say very clearly they are fully human and entirely valuable."
'Today means love and rescue'
In his Easter address, Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide Patrick O'Regan spoke of the way the gospel stories continued to resonate two millennia after the death of Jesus.
"We walk the journey of life and formation not alone, but accompanied by others," he said.
One worshipper, Bupe, said for her, Good Friday was a "very reflective day" and commemorated events that formed the "basis of our Christianity".
Adelaide's Anglican Archbishop Geoffrey Smith shared the sentiment, describing the crucifixion as an "incredible gift of self-sacrifice for the good of the world".
"We see evidence of sin all over the world, all sorts of bad things that happen to good people — broken relationships, wars, all sorts of dramas," he said.
"Today means love and rescue — God's love [is] shown very much in Jesus's death on the cross."
At Perth's St Mary's Cathedral, several hundred people congregated to listen, pray and observe the Stations of the Cross.
Among them was Terri Starcevich, who said the ritual was an integral part of her life.
"It's part of tradition," she said.
"I practice what the gospel teaches us.
"God has risen from the dead. Without our Lord we would have nothing — religion is our life."
On the other side of the country, worshippers gathered at EFKS Southwest Brisbane to pray and join the choir in song.
Local parishioner Uo Brown said the community would come together again for a special service on Easter Sunday.
"It was a wonderful, peaceful service," she said.
"[It's] a reminder to appreciate life."
Good Friday was marked in various ways across the country, and crowds of a different kind gathered in Sydney for day two of the Royal Easter Show.
Surrounded by chickens and baby goats, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon were given a 10-minute tour of the farmyard nursery, taking selfies with show-goers and cuddling puppies.
