Why Licola Matters and Why We Are Fighting for It

Licola is not just a town.

It is a rare, peaceful, fully off-grid community in Victoria’s High Country, one of only a few privately owned towns of its kind in Australia. It’s a place that supports people from all walks of life. Where strangers talk to each other, people help without being asked, children roam freely, and community still means something real.

Places like this are disappearing.

For generations, Licola has provided essential services, not as a luxury, but as a lifeline supporting people who live here, pass through, or rely on this place in different ways. The idea of these services disappearing, with no certainty and no real “business as usual,” is devastating for those who depend on them.

Licola was built for a reason.

It was founded to support underprivileged and disadvantaged young people, offering safety, care, connection to nature, and opportunity. If Licola is sold to interests that don’t understand or value this purpose, that support may simply stop. And once it’s gone, it won’t quietly return.

The entire town of Licola has now been put up for sale.

When towns like this are sold on the open market, what’s at risk isn’t just land... it’s soul. Too often, remote towns are bought without understanding the lives, history, and connections woven through them, and communities unravel slowly, painfully, and permanently.

Who I Am and Why I’m Standing Up

My name is Leanne O’Donnell.

I own and run the Licola Caravan Park and General Store, and I have poured my heart, time, and resources into this place. I didn’t come here to simply run a business. I came here to be part of a community and to build something meaningful.

Through care, conversation, and listening, I’ve grown an award-winning, community-focused business that serves as the gateway to the Victorian High Country. Licola has never been “just a business” to me. It feels like protecting something fragile and deeply important.

My lease is not being renewed. Walking away quietly and leaving this community without services, without certainty, and without support for the young people Licola was built to protect is not something I can live with.

Why this fundraiser exists

This fundraiser exists to raise eight million dollars to place a bid to purchase the town of Licola as a whole and keep it community-led, protected from over-polishing, over-commercialisation, or development that erases its soul, and guided by purpose so Licola can continue to serve disadvantaged young people, essential services, and the wider community.

The long-term vision is community ownership, through a trust or cooperative structure, guided by care, accountability, and the people who love it. Not short-term profit.

Raising six million dollars in two weeks feels impossible.

But the High Country is built on people who climb impossible mountains.

If you’ve ever passed through Licola, found peace here, shared a conversation with a stranger, or simply believe that some places are worth protecting, I’m asking you to stand with us.

Help keep Licola in the hands of the people who love it and ensure it continues to give back, quietly, powerfully, and with heart.

If Licola is lost, it won’t just be buildings that disappear. It will be connection, care, and a way of life that has endured for generations.

That’s why this matters.

That’s why we’re asking for help.

And that’s why we’re not walking away.

With Gratitude

Leanne O'Donnell

This is not a sure thing, but choosing not to try would be an injustice to Licola and the people it serves.

We have chosen GoFundMe to host this fundraiser so that if the purchase does not proceed, all donations will be refunded in full — no redirection, no grey areas. For transparency, GoFundMe applies a 2.9% + $0.30 per donation payment processing fee to cover credit, debit, and ACH transaction costs.