Small business owner Glen Trebilcock has been forced to take matters into his own hands to stop his livelihood from going into the ocean.
About 6 metres of beach in front of Mr Trebilcock’s hotel in the coastal hamlet of Lancelin, 125 kilometres north of Perth, eroded from a severe storm more than a week ago.
Rapid erosion is threatening Glen Trebilcock’s business. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)
Mr Trebilcock said he had spent about $10,000 on sand alone to protect his business, but in the past 15 months, he had seen about 50 metres of Lancelin’s northern beach disappear.
The hotel owner is not the only one facing this dilemma in the region, with people calling on the government to save their beloved seaside towns.
Time running out
Glen Trebilcock is desperately trying to protect his property. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)
Lancelin is a low-lying town, and a large dune that protects it from inundation now looks more like a cliff face.
“Once that breaks, we’re in a world of pain. It’s going to affect everybody,” Mr Trebilcock said.
“You’ll be sitting here with a fishing rod, cooking your own dinner.”
The town’s local government, the Gingin Shire, has been lobbying the state government for support and received $150,000 to stabilise the dune last year.
However, this washed away in about six months.
Linda Balcombe says she is losing sleep over the erosion threat. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)
Shire president Linda Balcombe said an extra $100,000 of shire-funded renourishment had disappeared within 10 days.
“Government wants us to investigate why [the erosion] is happening. That could take 18 months,” she said.
“We just don’t have that time. We need to be able to have some funding options to help us now.
“I lose sleep over it.”
Thousands of dollars of sand renourishment has been unsuccessful. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)
Same calls, more urgency
In Port Denison, about 240km north of Lancelin, warnings about potentially destructive erosion have become more dire since last winter.
Irwin Shire president Isabelle Scott said a sand wall that protected millions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure had been significantly damaged in recent weeks.
Isabelle Scott says concern is growing in Port Denison. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)
Behind it sits the recreation centre, playground, skate park and shire-owned retirement village, which houses low-income earners.
Cr Scott said 40 people lived in the aged care units.
“Currently, there is no accommodation to be had in Dongara [or Port Denison], so it would create huge upheaval to their lives should it be impacted,” she said.
Isabelle Scott says Ocean Drive is close to slipping into the water. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)
Retreat may be the only option
At its worst, the erosion is just metres from the nearby road, but Cr Scott said too much money had been spent to give up on the area.
“It’s been quite traumatic for us,” she said.
“We do believe the level of infrastructure in this area means it’s not possible to retreat.”
Coastal oceanography professor Charitha Pattiaratchi said it could cost up to $1 billion to protect WA’s coastline indefinitely.
He said strategic sacrifices needed to be made.
Charitha Pattiaratchi says maintaining all of WA’s coast is too expensive. (ABC News: Keana Naughton)
“People who are living in those vulnerable areas cannot expect the state government, the local councils to actually put money into a losing kind of a system,” Professor Pattiaratchi said.
“It is an emotive issue in terms of people to retreat, but it may be the only option [when] you’re looking at the cost.”
Lancelin beaches were hit by a recent storm surge. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)
Locals, tourists impacted
Further north in Horrocks, a storm surge has eaten away at beaches and destroyed the jetty.
Long-term local Reg Reynolds said the erosion was “absolutely terrible”.
“This is the worst I’ve seen it,” he said.
“We can’t fish down there, and even if we could, we can’t get a bloody boat into the water.
“We’re losing tourists left, right and centre.”
A recent storm surge destroyed the jetty at Horrocks. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)
A public statement released by the Northampton Shire said parts of the dune system were unstable and it was working with relevant agencies to assess the damage.
Mr Reynolds said decade-old sandbags at the main beach had been invaluable in protecting a community kitchen and playground.
“They’re the only saviour we’ve got,” he said.
To stay or to go?
Back in Lancelin, Mr Trebilcock said retreat was not viable.
“You hear the words retreat and you think, well, hang on a minute, this is my business, this is my livelihood, this is our community.
“Where am I going to go?”
The ocean continues to eat away at the Lancelin coastline. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)
The WA government said it supported coastal communities through the CoastWA program, with $24 million committed over the next three years.
A spokesperson said the state worked closely with local governments to respond to urgent risks on a case-by-case basis, including ongoing work with the Shire of Gingin to support Lancelin.
