Save Lancelin: Help Us Build an Emergency Seawall Before It's Too Late

Goal: A$150,000

The sea is winning, and we can't wait for government any longer

URGENT ACTION NEEDED TO PROTECT LANCELIN’S COASTLINE

Collectively, we are the owners and operators of the Lancelin Sands Hotel, home to the 3 Emus Restaurant, hotel rooms, bar and drive-thru-bottle shop in North Lancelin, Western Australia.

The fore-dune in front of the hotel was thriving only 5-6 years ago but only recently has been completely decimated as a result of unprecedented coastal erosion due to extreme weather conditions. Approximately 45 metres of vegetated dunes and local infrastructure, including a public footpath and the iconic Lancelin Lookout have been lost!

Independent marine engineering assessments show North Lancelin is already eroding at a rate the local Coastal Management Plan didn't expect to see until 2050. At this pace, the barrier dune protecting our hotel, the caravan park to the North and the old Lookout car park could fail within the next year. Once that dune goes, there's no cheap or fast way back.

See it for yourself. The drone comparison photo at the top of the page shows the exact same stretch of dune in front of our hotel, just 13 months apart. What news from only 10 months - lookout now completely gone.

We've already spent our own money trucking in 1-2 tonne sandbags to build makeshift defences. It's bought us a little time but it’s nowhere near enough.

Why we're not waiting for the State Government

We've raised this with WA State Government repeatedly, and we understand the seriousness is starting to register. But government processes move on government timelines — environmental approvals, budget cycles, competing priorities — and the ocean does not. Engineers warn that once the dune is breached, any defence becomes harder, slower and far more expensive to build. The alternative — "managed retreat," where the state eventually has to buy out and demolish properties — has been estimated at over **$20 million** for a stretch like ours, plus the human cost of families losing their homes and businesses. For the residents of Lancelin, this is simply not an option.

We are not willing to gamble the town's future on waiting to find out which way that goes. We're acting now, ourselves, and asking our community — locals, visitors, anyone who has ever loved Lancelin & for future generations — to help us get ahead of it.

What this money builds

A$150,000 will fund an engineered, ~100-metre seawall directly in front of the Lancelin Sands Hotel, extending North to protect the caravan park and South, to protect the adjoining dune system

This isn't a stopgap pile of rocks — it's a properly engineered structure, sized to actually hold the line while we keep pushing for the larger, fully-funded coastal defence the town needs long-term — squarely a job for state government.

Think of this $150k seawall as the firebreak: the part we can realistically build ourselves, right now, to buy the town time.

Where your money goes

- Engineering design (already completed)

- Quarried rock, core material and geotextile fabric

- Earthworks, plant hire and construction labour

- Contingency for weather delays and site conditions

We will publish itemised cost updates as the project progresses — full transparency on every dollar.

Why this matters beyond one hotel

This stretch of coast isn't just our business. It's:

- The North Lancelin Caravan Park

- The Lookout car park, (the Lookout is already gone)

- Neighbouring homes and businesses

- The reputation of Lancelin as a place people can keep living, working and holidaying

If the dune fails here, it doesn't just take our hotel — it accelerates erosion along the whole frontage. Protecting this 100m protects the town's northern entrance, houses and associated infrastructure.

This is also about accountability

Every dollar raised here is also a message to government: this community isn't prepared to sit back and watch a town disappear while a plan gets debated. We'll keep pushing — with media, with our local MP, the Shire and with the engineering case already put to the State — for the formal development of long term, permanent, properly funded solution that Lancelin needs. But we're not waiting on that fight to start saving what we can save today.

How you can help

- Donate whatever you can — every contribution gets us closer to breaking ground

- Share this page — the more attention this gets, the harder it is for decision-makers to look away

- Follow our updates — we'll post construction progress, engineering milestones, and where things stand with the State Government

Lancelin has survived on this coast for generations. We're not ready to let a few more seasons of erosion be the thing that takes it. Thank you for standing with us.

— Blair Sergeant, Adrian Montagu, Glen & Aleisha Trebilcock, Owners and Operators, Lancelin Sands Hotel

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FAQ

Is this instead of the government acting?

No. We're still pursuing State Government funding for the larger, town-wide seawall this coastline needs. This campaign funds what we can build ourselves, now, to protect the areas currently at the greatest risk while that process continues.

What happens if you raise more than $150,000?

Funds will go toward extending the seawall further along the frontage, or toward engineering and approvals for the next stage of works, with full public reporting. Alternatively, the funds will be donated to the Lancelin Community Trust/Chamber of Commerce

What if you raise less than $150,000?

We will scope the seawall to match funds raised, prioritising the highest-risk sections first, in consultation with our engineers.