Sandstone and travertine care in Church Point

Church Point is a small suburb of about 0.7 square kilometres on the south-western shore of Pittwater, where Pittwater Road ends. Ferries leave the wharf on McCarrs Creek Road for Scotland Island, Lovett Bay and Elvina Bay, and the original government wharf here dates from 1885. The suburb is named after a Wesleyan chapel built in 1872 on land given by William Oliver, and the historic cemetery that adjoined it still overlooks the water. Along McCarrs Creek Road stands Rostrevor, a house from about 1886. Early jetties here were built of loose sandstone blocks. Today the homes are largely waterfront or water-view houses on steep slopes, with sandstone retaining walls, stairs, landings and terraces linking them to the water.

Church Point stone gets wet from several directions. Waterfront walls and landing steps are washed by tides and boat wakes, so they carry weed, algae and a band of salt where water evaporates. Properties tucked into the slopes along McCarrs Creek Road sit under thick bush, so their stairs and terraces receive little direct sun, stay damp for long periods and grow black mould, moss and lichen. Leaf litter from overhanging trees leaves brown tannin marks. Stormwater running down steep blocks carries soil and debris across paving. Pool terraces, where they exist, pick up salt from pool water as well. The result is that one property can need three or four different treatments.

For heritage, Church Point is governed by the Pittwater Local Environmental Plan 2014, a legacy of the old Pittwater Council that Northern Beaches Council still applies. Our research did not identify a heritage conservation area for Church Point. The historic cemetery is a recognised local site that has received NSW Government heritage grant funding, but we did not confirm a formal listing, and older homes such as Rostrevor may or may not be listed items. If your property is older, check the heritage schedule before restoration. On waterfront lots, we clean only existing stone from the land side; structural work to sea walls or jetties needs other specialists and approvals. Nothing we use is allowed to reach Pittwater.

Church Point is about 55 to 65 minutes from Double Bay, so our technicians plan work here as full days or longer. Parking near the wharf is in heavy demand from ferry users, so we agree where our vehicle will stand before the job, ideally on your property. Many homes sit well above or below the road, with long flights of stairs, which means equipment is carried in stages and hoses are run down slopes. Tide times guide when we reach the lowest steps. Each level of terrace gets its own bund so rinse water never cascades onto the next. Because these slopes stay shaded and humid, we usually allow a separate visit for sealing once the stone is fully dry.