More than 600 kayakers took to Newcastle Harbour as part of "Paddle for the Planet", protesting coal exports.
No arrests were made after NSW Police had tried to block the event.
A larger protest is being planned for February 2027.
Protest organisers and NSW Police say no arrests were made as hundreds of kayakers took to Newcastle Harbour in New South Wales, to protest against coal exports and fossil fuels.
Climate activism group Rising Tide began promoting its "Paddle for the Planet" event in August, but Newcastle Council this week moved to ban the group from holding any of its events on council land.
NSW Police attempted to block the protest, citing safety concerns and potential resourcing pressures.
However, the court dismissed the application on Friday, deciding the event was in the public interest.
Speaking after the paddle-out, Rising Tide spokesperson Joe Hallenstein labelled Anthony Albanese "hypocritical", as the prime minister and climate change minister engage in the COP31 summit.
"[Albanese] is over in Türkiye telling the world that Australia is a leader in climate action, when the opposite is true," Mr Hallenstein said.
"Both Albanese's federal Labor government, and Chris Minns's state Labor government continue to approve new coal and gas projects, which is the opposite of action on climate change."
