The Western Australian Government has committed to dumping sand along the Lancelin coast as a temporary measure against erosion, but locals fear the sand will be washed away in the next storm. Waves have already eaten away fragile dunes and now lap just metres from the Lancelin Sands Hotel, a popular tourist spot 125km north of Perth.
Government funding and local concerns
Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport Jessica Stojkovski visited Lancelin on Tuesday but did not meet with local business owners. She stated, “We need to work with the Shire (of Gingin), because it’s the shire’s coastal hazard management plan that we are supporting with our technical advice and funding, and local stakeholders can meet with the department.” The sand nourishment is part of a $460,000 government coastal grant that also funds designing a rock wall and a coastal study.
Lancelin Sands Hotel owner Glen Trebilcock expressed disappointment at not meeting the minister. “I would have appreciated her saying hello,” he said.
Erosion timeline and community fears
Significant coastline was eroded between May 2025 and June 2026, according to 7NEWS. Locals are uncertain whether the sand nourishment will buy enough time to save the town. Jemma Lang, who is building her dream home near the hotel, said, “I said to my husband, ‘I think we need to put this on hold, like, do we keep going?’”
The Shire of Gingin does not know when it will receive the funds, and locals plan to bring their fight to Perth later in July. Local business owner Kirsty Harding said, “It’s very sad and the towns people as a whole are really fearful. They feel like they’ve been ignored for a long time and it’s got to this critical point.”
Community fundraising efforts
The community previously launched its own fundraising effort to build a $150,000 seawall. Fundraising organisers said, “We’ve already spent our own money trucking in ... sandbags to build makeshift defences. It’s bought us a little time but it’s nowhere near enough. 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.”
