One man's tale of the support he received in his harrowing bid to save a life has brought thousands of Melburnians to the brink of tears as they reflected on the Bourke Street tragedy.
Henry Dow, reading out his now viral Facebook post to a crowd of thousands in Melbourne, recalled Friday's events as he performed emergency first aid on someone who was hit.
"Holding her head, my hand was, for want of a better word, shaking. It was more like bouncing, moving several inches up and down as the fear and thoughts of what had happened, what could happen, raced through my head," Mr Dow read to the crowd as many wiped their eyes.
"There was no evil on Bourke street yesterday; one sick young man did a terrible thing, and hundreds responded with the love and sense of community that makes Melbourne such a beautiful city."
The massive crowd joined Premier Daniel Andrews, Opposition leader Bill Shorten and Victorian Governor Linda Dessau in stifling heat to mourn the five people who lost their lives in Friday's Bourke Street attack.
With St Paul's Cathedral chiming in the background, it was a solemn mood as people huddled under umbrellas to avoid the sun - many holding back tears as they recalled Friday's horrific events.
"My heart is really broken," Lily McLeish, 23, told AAP on Monday afternoon.
"It was really important for us to be here to try and get a bit of closure and to pay our respects."
"We're here to show our respects to those that have passed on, and to show the people of the world that Melbourne isn't going to lay down and die," Val Simpson, 76, said.
Behind the tears, many were also angry the accused killer had been let out on bail.
"I'm sad but I'm furious this guy was let out to roam the streets, this type of thing just shouldn't have been allowed to happen," Kerry Oates, 41, said.
