Around 200 people attended Camp for Climate Action (Western Australia) near the coalmining town of Collie, 200 kilometres south of Perth from December 17-21.
Collie is a community heavily reliant on the coal industry, with several mines and coal-fired power stations in the area.
The camp included educational workshops covering climate science, non-violent direct action and green alternatives to carbon industries. It culminated in a peaceful community picket of the Muja coal-fired power station.
The picket involved 100 people. Most power station workers happily stopped and heard about protesters' desires for renewable energy and a "just transition" away from coal, which would protect the livelihood and community of workers now reliant on carbon-intensive industries.
The camp aimed to create "the foundations of a movement, capable of taking all action necessary to bring about an end to carbon industries and begin our sustainable future".
For the WA climate action movement, it was just the beginning of a diverse campaign to stop, and then reverse, climate change.
One camp participant told Green Left Weekly: "It was good to meet such a diverse range of activists, all committed to the same cause."
The camp placed a real emphasis on reaching out to the workers and community in Collie. In the lead-up to the camp, there was a community forum. During the camp the response from workers and the community was largely positive, despite fearmongering statements from the police and some early negative press. Some Collie residents even joined the camp.
Some very useful links were made with trade unions, climate activists, and the community. It was a great basis for the climate action movement to now build on.