Residents of Lancelin, a coastal town 125 kilometers north of Perth, Western Australia, have resorted to a community fundraiser to combat severe coastal erosion threatening to engulf their homes and businesses. The shoreline near the Lancelin Sands Hotel has receded dramatically, shrinking from 15 meters to just 7 meters in recent months due to intense weather.
Pub owner Glen Trebilcock, frustrated by the pace of government assistance, spearheaded a GoFundMe campaign aiming to raise $150,000. This fund is earmarked for the construction of a 100-meter seawall to protect the hotel, a local caravan park, and a dune system to the south. So far, the fundraiser has garnered over $65,000.
This grassroots effort comes after previous attempts at mitigation proved insufficient. In September 2025, the Shire of Gingin implemented a temporary solution involving sand replenishment and stockpiling, costing $150,000. However, this measure was largely washed away within six months, prompting Trebilcock to attempt makeshift reinforcements using a front-end loader.
Securing official approval for coastal defense works is a complex process. A spokesperson for the Shire of Gingin indicated that even with community funding, permissions would be required from multiple authorities, including the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure, and the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage. Site-specific engineering assessments are also necessary to determine the feasibility of protecting individual structures.
"These matters require detailed technical assessment and are not matters that the Shire can determine in isolation," the spokesperson stated.
The urgency of the situation is underscored by engineers' warnings that delaying action will significantly increase costs. The GoFundMe page highlights that once a dune is breached, defenses become more expensive and time-consuming to build. The alternative, a "managed retreat" involving government buyouts and demolitions, is estimated to cost over $20 million for a comparable stretch of coastline, not including the human impact of displacement.
Despite these challenges, a Western Australian government spokesman noted that the state government continues to support the Shire of Gingin through the CoastWA program, offering funding, data, technical expertise, and planning assistance, in addition to the $150,000 in emergency support provided in 2025.