Church Point is Pittwater’s western-shore hub — the ferry wharf for Scotland Island and the offshore communities, a waterfront general store that doubles as the local café, and a car park that’s always fuller than it should be. Boat hire around Church Point exists but it’s modest: small motorboats and tinnies from local Pittwater operators, the kind of boats used for exploring McCarrs Creek and the western foreshores rather than hosting a party. If that’s your day, book locally and book ahead. If you’re actually after a bigger boat day — a group, food and drinks, swim stops — that fleet lives on Sydney Harbour, and we’ll explain how to weigh the two below.
Browse boats, prices and dates
Pricing, photos and open dates across the fleet.
What kind of boat hire is available at Church Point?
Church Point’s boating culture is built around getting people to and from places — it’s the mainland lifeline for Scotland Island and the roadless western foreshore settlements of Elvina Bay, Lovett Bay and Morning Bay. So the water traffic is ferries, commuter tinnies and tradie barges, and the hire options mirror that: small self-drive motorboats from Pittwater operators, generally no licence required at restricted speeds, suited to two to six people pottering for a few hours. What you won’t find at Church Point is a party-boat wharf or a catered charter fleet. A handful of skippered charters do work Pittwater, but the depth of choice — 180+ vessels across every size and budget — is on Sydney Harbour, 45 minutes’ drive south.
Where do you actually go from Church Point?
This is the fun part, because the western shore is the prettiest, least-developed corner of Pittwater. Straight off the wharf you’re looking at Scotland Island; a lap of it takes twenty minutes and shows you a community of jetties, boatsheds and houses that have never seen a road. Turn south into McCarrs Creek and the houses stop entirely — it’s Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park bushland down to the waterline, with quiet corners to drop a line or swim. Head north up the western foreshore and you pass Elvina Bay, Lovett Bay (Towlers Bay to some), and eventually The Basin, Pittwater’s famous campground anchorage, before the water opens out towards Palm Beach and Barrenjoey. It’s calm, green, protected water almost the whole way — Pittwater rarely gets genuinely rough south of the Barrenjoey line, though the afternoon nor’easter can make the run home a wet one in a small boat.
What are the practicalities at Church Point?
Parking is the perennial Church Point problem — the commuter car park serves hundreds of offshore residents and fills early, especially weekends. There’s a public wharf, a fuel wharf, the general store for coffee and supplies, and Pasadena’s restaurant next door if you want a proper lunch. If you’re meeting a hired boat here, allow a genuine buffer for finding a park. Phone reception is fine, unlike the deeper national-park corners. One caveat worth knowing: seagrass beds around the western bays are protected and ecologically precious, so anchor on sand or pick up a courtesy mooring where one’s free rather than dropping anchor into the weed.
Should I hire at Pittwater or on Sydney Harbour instead?
Depends entirely on the day you’re planning. If you live on the Northern Beaches and want a quiet explore — two couples, a fishing rod, a picnic at The Basin — hire locally on Pittwater; it’s the right tool. If you’re assembling a group from across Sydney, want choice of boat styles, catering, or a no-licence self-drive with proper training thrown in, the harbour wins on every axis except proximity to Mona Vale. Our own base is at The Spit in Mosman, where Middle Harbour gives you a surprisingly Pittwater-like experience — calm, bush-lined, national park either side in its upper reaches — twenty minutes from the city instead of an hour. And the group-boat maths favours the harbour heavily: small BYO charter boats run roughly $200–$400 an hour, catered cruisers $500–$900 an hour, with winter rates 20–40% below summer. The full cost picture is in our boat hire pricing guide.
Can a Sydney Harbour hire boat get to Church Point?
No. Pittwater and Sydney Harbour are separate waterways connected only by open ocean, and hire boats — ours included — don’t make that passage. It’s a genuine coastal run past Barrenjoey and it’s outside every hire boat’s permitted area for good reason. So don’t plan a day that starts at a harbour wharf and ends at Pasadena; pick your waterway first, then pick your boat. If the group is coming from all over Sydney, the harbour is almost always the easier meeting point, with pickup possible at most public wharves.
What does a well-planned Church Point boat day look like?
Copy the offshore residents — nobody knows this water better. Start early: on the water by 8.30, when McCarrs Creek is glass and the ferry traffic is still light, and do the national-park leg first — up the creek to the quiet pools, then north along the western foreshore past Elvina and Lovett bays while the morning light is on the escarpment. Mid-morning, cross to The Basin for the swim and a wander among the wallabies (small landing fee to NSW National Parks applies), which positions you perfectly for the run home along Scotland Island’s northern shore before the nor’easter fills in after lunch. Provisioning is part of the ritual: coffee and supplies from the general store before you leave, or a booked table at Pasadena’s for when you’re back — trying to buy anything mid-route is a mistake, as nothing between Church Point and Palm Beach sells so much as an ice cube on the western shore. Pack sun cover regardless of forecast (the water doubles the UV), reef-safe sunscreen, and a dry bag for phones — the commuter-tinnie chop near the ferry lanes is small but splashy. Three to four hours covers the loop without rushing; a full day adds the top of Pittwater.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a boat licence to hire at Church Point?
For small hire boats operated at restricted speeds, generally no — confirm with the operator when booking. Anything capable of higher speeds requires a NSW general boat licence.
Can I take a hire boat to Scotland Island?
You can circle it and tie up briefly at public wharves to drop people, but there’s no visitor destination on the island itself — it’s residential. The better stops are The Basin, McCarrs Creek and the western bays.
Is there anywhere to eat that I can reach by boat?
Church Point itself has the general store café and Pasadena’s right on the water. The Newport, on Pittwater’s eastern shore, is the other classic boat-accessible lunch run.
How rough does Pittwater get?
It’s sheltered by ocean standards, but the afternoon nor’easter in summer builds a short chop, especially mid-channel. Mornings are calmer — plan the long legs early and the sheltered western bays for the afternoon.
What’s the closest no-licence hire to the city?
Our Coral at The Spit, Mosman — up to 6 guests, from $400 for 3 hours with fuel included, full training at the wharf before you head off.