Sandstone and travertine care in Bilgola Beach

Bilgola Beach occupies a narrow valley on the ocean side of the Barrenjoey Peninsula, between Newport to the south and Avalon Beach to the north, with the land rising steeply behind the sand toward Bilgola Plateau. Barrenjoey Road crosses the valley on the twisting Bilgola Bends and passes through Hewitt Park along the cliff line between the two headlands. Bilgola Rock Pool sits at the southern end, used on summer Saturday mornings by the Avalon Bilgola Amateur Swimming Club, and the surf club dates from 1949. Cabbage tree palms have defined the valley since early records. Homes are tucked into the slopes, and their stone takes the form of retaining walls, garden stairs, terraces and pool surrounds.

Bilgola's stone sits between two climates. Properties near the beach and on the headlands catch salt spray carried up the valley on onshore winds, and as that salt dries in the pores it loosens the surface of sandstone and roughens travertine coping. Further back, the valley floor and its slopes are shaded by palms and other trees, so stairs and walls stay cool and damp, growing black mould, green algae and moss. Palm fronds and leaf litter break down on paving and leave dark stains. Water running down the steep blocks after storms carries soil across terraces. Pool areas get a double dose, from the water itself and from the sea air, which speeds up wear on the coping.

Heritage in the valley is governed by Schedule 5 of the Pittwater LEP 2014, inherited from the old Pittwater Council. Our checks turned up no conservation area covering Bilgola Beach. Local history shows how quickly older fabric can go: Bilgola House on Bilgola Avenue, a timber and stone weekender built for the politician W. B. Dalley, was demolished in the late 1980s despite appearing in Warringah Council's draft heritage provisions, though dry stone walls along the creek survive on that land. If your home is older or has early stonework, check the heritage schedule before restoration. Wash water is never allowed to reach the beach, the rock pool or the creek.

Bilgola Beach is around 55 to 60 minutes from Double Bay, and the Bilgola Bends can slow the last stretch, so we book work here as full days. Parking in the valley is limited and many driveways are steep, so we arrange vehicle placement before the day and allow time to carry equipment down to lower terraces. Our technicians work from the top of each block downward, setting a bund at every level so rinse water does not flow onto the next terrace or into the street. Near the beach, we time sealing for a calm day, since an onshore breeze carries salt and sand onto fresh work. In shaded parts of the valley, stone is given extra drying time before any sealer goes on.