The troubled nation with an Aus $315 billion economy - just a little larger than Queensland's ($283 billion in 2012) - has over Tuesday night defaulted on its first loan repayments overnight Tuesday.

That initial repayment of Aus $2.18 billion dollars - or 1.5 billion euros – the first of many debts - is to the International Monetary Fund.

Greece on Sunday votes in a referendum to give their government an idea of what the people consider to be the next step after five years of recession and rising unemployment.

Brisbane's John Savvas – an construction industry training manager - wants the people of Greece to know Brisbane Greeks understand their pain and support their vote.

As tens of thousands of Greeks protest in its cities, John Savvas wants to support a No vote in Greece's Sunday referendum.

"We are getting together Greek of all walks of life and – all Australians – in solidarity to show that austerity and the international banking community have been strangling the country for five years," Mr Savvas said.

He said the British Medical Journal documented suicide rates in Greece climbing by 30 per cent in 2012 and said the country felt there was no future.

"We just want to give the Greeks over there some hope when they go to vote on Sunday."

His group has set up a Facebook page to generate support for rallies.

Greece's newly-elected left-wing government headed by Alexis Tsipras wants them to vote No against the planned austerity moves of the international finance community.

However they could vote Yes and accept the hardline decisions of the international banking community and reject the Tsiprasis government, elected in January 2015.

In Brisbane, Greece's troubling debt scenario is debated in travel agencies, in West End and South Brisbane's streets, in coffee shops, banks and in homes.

Overall Greece owes 242.8 billion euros, equivalent to around Aus $320 billion.

That is why in Greece residents can only withdraw 60 euros each day from ATMs, equivalent to $87 Australian.

Greek banks will not open again until at least July 5.

Atlas Travel at West End has served Brisbane's Greek community for almost 40 years arranging travel between Greece and Australia.

Rebecca Georgiou owned the business with husband Andrew for 15 years and still works there. She recently went home to Greece – back to the island of Rhodes - to visit family and friends.

"I saw pain," Rebecca Georgiou said.

"I didn't go to Athens so I wasn't there at the time of the demonstrations," she said.

"But that's what I saw, pain."

She saw a country that is being held together by tourism; lots of Scandanavians, Germans, Russians and other Europeans.

"So a lot of the hotels are full, but your average worker, well, they are hurting," Ms Georgiou said.

"They are really hurting, their wages have been cut, their pensions have been cut and they are finding it hard to make ends meet."

She said the European Union's quota system – where different countries provide different quotas of produce – was now hurting Greece's struggling farms.

"Things like watermelons, some fruits. Things that they have traditionally produced a lot of have just been ploughed back into the land."

In the middle of West End's Boundary Street – a stone's throw from the Greek Community Centre, John Passaris and Kyrioika Mitilines were talking about the relatives in Kos and Samos.

John's wife has two sisters still on the Greek island of Samos.

There are few jobs there and tourism keeps the island afloat.

Mr Mitilines brother stayed in Australia for three years, but has returned to Kos.

"Now, he's gone and he says to me, I should have stayed in Australia," he said.

Kyrioika Mitilines said his relatives tell him "things are no good" with the reduced pensions.

"There is not many jobs on Kos and the pension – my brother used to get 1400 euros a month," he said.

"Now - you know how much he gets – 400 a month. They cut out 1000 euros."