Resort owner Greg Tickle's family has been hosting tourists on some of Western Australia's most pristine coastline for generations.
But Mr Tickle believes a forecast rise in sea levels could mean his sons see the end of the family's business.
He is just one of many facing the problem in the seaside city of Busselton, a three-hour drive south of Perth, over the next century — with the waters of Geographe Bay expected to rise.
Mr Tickle said his family had seen the beach move in and out by 30 metres over the past century, but the next 100 years would be worse.
"I don't feel threatened, probably in my lifetime, it's probably more something my sons will have to face up to," Mr Tickle said.
"If we end up having to walk away in the end, after a considerable sort of effort to defend it, it's something you'll have to face when the time comes."
As a result, Mr Tickle is making different decisions about his business.
"We probably won't over-invest with new buildings and infrastructure in the park," he said.
His business is among other critical infrastructure such as the hospital, schools and entire suburbs that are at risk from the encroaching ocean.
Protect or retreat?
Busselton's low-lying nature and surrounding wetlands make it particularly vulnerable to rising seas, throwing up complex planning questions.
When the Western Australian Planning Commission told all local governments on the coast to prepare for a 0.9-metre sea level rise over the next 100 years, it provided an opportunity to put the future into focus.
City of Busselton director of planning and development services Paul Needham worked on a report called the Coastal Hazard Risk Management Adaption Plan (CHRMAP), which modelled the potential effects of the sea level rise.
It showed high water lines consuming entire suburbs.
Mr Needham said the city had to decide which parts of the coast were worth saving.
"It sets out the fundamentals in that we plan to protect most of our northern coast, which is where most of our vulnerable assets and coastline are located," he said.
"If we weren't going to protect the coast then that would be a really very, very significant planning issue.
"But given that we've looked at that retreat option, and decided to go with the protect option, the planning issues are much less difficult to deal with."
The CHRMAP outlines possible protection methods such as groynes, sea walls, beach nourishment and requiring houses to be built roughly 2 metres above sea level.
Billion-dollar problem
If that protection plan were fully realised, the billions in infrastructure costs would far exceed that of a local government like Busselton.
Mr Needham said the question of who paid was yet to be decided.
"We think that the costs of funding coastal management should be shared in some sort of equitable way," Mr Needham said.
"Between the landowners that are going to be significant beneficiaries and the local community as a whole, but also state and federal government."
He called on all levels of government to take coastal inundation more seriously.
"The state government has been allocating funding to coastal management for quite some time," Mr Needham said.
"It certainly doesn't look to be anywhere near enough.
"[From] the federal government as well, we need to do long-term planning.
"But if the funding decisions are being made on a one- or two-year basis, that's not going to lead to sensible sustainable decision-making."
Take action now
Mr Tickle said Busselton had a chance to act to ensure the coast could be enjoyed for generations to come.
"We need to build a more demountable style of accommodation, [that] would be naturally a more sensible way to go in case things turn," he said.
"When you add the factor in about sea level rise, it is something to be very concerned about.
"My opinion is that you need to build as big a buffer within reason as you can, while you've got the opportunity."
