In five hours this week, a section of the beach lost 2.5 metres in sand height. The most severe erosion in 20 years. City of Newcastle closed the beach and urged residents to steer clear of sheer drops created by extensive scarping along the coastline.

Lucas Gresham's drone video of showed the beach ravaged by decades of erosion and completely unusable. By Saturday morning, the video had more than 57,000 views.

Mr Gresham also started a GoFundMe campaign this week to investigate legal action to find a solution for the beach. It raised more than $12,000 in two days.

They've been a patient bunch, the Stockton community. But their patience has run out.

"This is not a new problem, but the beach is the worst it's ever been and we can't afford to wait," he said.

"My kids don't understand why we can't get up and go to the beach every morning.

"It's completely changed our lives and the lives of everyone in Stockton and we all want to see something change. It has to, we have already lost too much."

Stockton Surf Life Saving Club president Callan Nickerson said the "beach was broken". The club is being forced to consider options for its patrolling season and nippers program.

"It is a grim thought that our club may well be the first in NSW and perhaps Australia, to temporarily cease patrolling because of erosion," Mr Nickerson said.

It's not just the beach.

The childcare centre has closed. Cabins at the caravan park were temporarily evacuated. There are concerns about Mitchell Street - and the houses and families that call that street home.

We're at the point we were warned about in 2009, or way before that, when reports recommended "urgent action", because it wasn't a matter of "if properties would be at risk of falling into the sea", but when. And that day is here.

This week, the Newcastle Herald joins with the community to demand action to Save our Stockton. So where are our governments now?