Sandstone cleaning in Matraville

Matraville takes its name from James Matra, a midshipman on Cook's 1770 voyage, and sits about three kilometres down Bunnerong Road from Kingsford. Heffron Park, a large reserve that was a naval stores base in the Second World War, forms its border with Maroubra, and Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, including Botany Cemetery where Arthur Stace is buried, runs along the south. A soldiers' settlement left a foundation stone laid by Prime Minister Hughes and one surviving cottage on Somme Way. Housing is family-oriented: almost half separate houses, about 31 per cent semis and townhouses, and a fifth flats. Stone appears as front fences, piers and steps, garden walls and edging, and paths around townhouse developments.

Matraville's exposure is different from the beach suburbs. Botany Bay and the port lie to the south-west, and wind from that quarter drops a film of dust on paving and the tops of fences, with occasional salt from the bay mixed in. Bunnerong Road carries heavy traffic, so street-facing fences pick up a grey film. Gardens are generous, and irrigation or garden beds banked against walls keep the lower courses damp, which invites algae and leaves tide-marks. On townhouse paths, shade between buildings encourages moss in the joints, and furniture or pot plants leave rust and water rings on paler stone. Most of this cleans up well when caught early (inferred from setting).

Matraville is in Randwick City Council. Randwick's list of heritage conservation areas includes the former Bunnerong Power Station, which stood in Matraville, but most homes in the suburb are not inside a conservation area. A building may still be individually scheduled, and the soldiers' settlement history means some older cottages could be of interest, so a call to Randwick about a particular address is worthwhile. Listed buildings fall under the heritage clause of the local plan, which normally asks for consent, although minor upkeep can be cleared by the council in writing. Townhouse complexes and unit blocks are strata schemes, where paths, fences and shared paving are usually common property and decisions sit with the owners corporation.

From Double Bay, Matraville is about 28 minutes by road, a little south of where most of our work happens, so inspections and jobs in the area are bundled into the same day where we can. Parking is usually simple, with driveways and wide streets, though Bunnerong Road itself is best avoided for unloading. Our technicians protect lawns and garden beds, run hoses tidily across paths, and bund the low side of each work area so wash water is collected rather than reaching the street. In townhouse complexes, the order of work is agreed in advance with the managing agent, leaving each household a dry way home. Sealer goes on only in calm, dry weather, since dust on a windy day can stick to wet sealer.