Kalbarri community raises funds to restore local GP services
18 Aug 2026
The Kalbarri Development Association (KDA) has launched a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of raising $200,000 to help establish a not-for-profit community health practice.
The campaign follows the closure of the town’s solo GP clinic, leaving some of Kalbarri’s approximately 1,500 residents travelling to other towns for medical care.
The KDA plans to apply for a tender from the Shire of Northampton to operate a new general practice. The proposed Kalbarri Community Health Practice would provide local GP services and aim to remain sustainable in the long term.
Funds raised would help with setting up the practice, recruiting staff, meeting accreditation requirements and covering early operating costs.
KDA Chair Merilynn Eastland said the loss of local GP care has been particularly difficult for older residents. Around 40% of Kalbarri’s population is aged over 60, she said.
Some residents are travelling to Northampton, while others are making the more than 150-kilometre trip to Geraldton for appointments.
For patients, the extra travel can mean higher fuel costs, time away from work and difficulties fitting appointments around family responsibilities.
Local resident Bek Toomey said the lack of nearby GP care also affected her family when her teenage son needed medical attention after a football injury.
The KDA hopes the proposed clinic could initially employ a salaried GP and nurse practitioner. In the future, the group would like to attract visiting specialists in areas such as dermatology, women’s health, diabetes and mental health.
As of 18 August, the campaign had raised just under $7,000. The KDA says it believes the community clinic could become financially self-sufficient after its first year.
The campaign highlights the challenges remote communities can face when local access to general practice is lost, particularly when patients must travel long distances for routine care.
Kalbarri community raises funds to restore local GP services
Source: RACGP newsGP; Kalbarri Development Association GoFundMe campaign.