The pair is expected to be shot dead in Indonesia by firing squad tonight or tomorrow.

Amnesty International Bendigo branch president David Hooke said while he didn't expect the vigil from 5.30pm to 6.30pm would save the lives of the two men, he hoped it would help to build opposition to the death penalty.

"We're not naive about it; we don't think waving some candles around in Rosalind Park in Bendigo is going to save the lives of someone in Indonesia," he said. 

"We're having a long term campaign which has been going on for many years in an attempt to get the death penalty abolished worldwide.

"That's something that's been quite successful; many countries no longer have the death penalty."

He said it was disappointing that Indonesia was "going against the trend" of moving away from capital punishment.

"We're not asking for them to be released from prison and not to be punished; we just don't want them to be killed," he said.

Mr Hooke said public support in Bendigo was largely on their side.

"The fact that the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister have in all of their public statements have said that Australia opposes the death penalty in every instance shows that the message has gotten through to the majority of people," he said. 

"We know very well that there are people who think that the death penalty is a good idea; we try to explain to those people that it doesn't work as a deterrent and it is a gross violation of human rights.

"We just think that governments shouldn't be killing people."

Indonesia president Joko Widodo has taken a hard-line stance against drugs, and last year vowed never to grant clemency to drug dealers. His predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, took a softer stance and imposed a five-year unofficial moratorium on the death penalty.