The building industry was the worst. Subcontractors were always surfers first, brickies, plasterers and painters second. They would shamelessly desert in the middle of the job, or simply not show up before 11am. As more outsiders have twigged to the virtues of the region with the burgeoning wine industry and the picturesque coastline, competition has stepped up. Project-home builders from the city have brought with them subcontractors with a more conventional work ethic.
People are more comfortable with the once frowned-upon notion of making a profit.
Now there are options. For the surfers, too. If Margaret River has grown up, it hasn't managed to pummel the surfing bug out of a hefty chunk of its citizens who continue to revere surfing. It's an addiction, thy say. It gets in your blood and it won't leave.