About 15 people from Coonabarabran Residents Against CSG demonstrated their opposition to fracking for about half an hour, before being told to move on by police.

Group member Rosemary Vass said the Condor Energy trucks were thought to have travelled from Queensland and were on their way to Western Australia.

“We took this opportunity to make the community aware of what it could be like if we became a CSG area,” Ms Vass said.

“This is the sort of thing the community could expect; these sort of trucks are exactly what they could expect.

“We don’t want this around our area – or anywhere.”

Protester Shannon Stone said that, right across Australia, communities were opposed to the unconventional gas industry due to its “unacceptable risks”.

“We’re fighting a battle on our own doorstep against Santos’ coal seam gas proposal in the Pilliga forest,” Mr Stone said.

“The understanding we’ve gained through this campaign has convinced us there is no safe place for fracking to occur.

“The extraction of unconventional gas is unnecessary, dangerous and has no social licence. 

“The process of fracking involves a cocktail of dangerous chemicals, often including carcinogenic BTEX chemicals.

“Our governments should uphold the rights of landowners to say no to this industry coming on their land. 

“The entire industry should be put on hold across Australia until the findings of the recently announced federal senate committee into the impact of CSG and shale gas extraction ... are handed down next June.”