[1] The former St Andrew's Presbyterian Church is a simple timber building located on the south bank of Sandy Creek and was built in 1876 on the first site of the new settlement at Esk.

European settlement began with a teamsters' camp at the crossing of Sandy (or Esk) Creek and the coach road north.

A township site was surveyed in 1872 on land excised from Mount Esk run and the first building known to have been constructed there was a hotel.

[1] In 1873, stimulated by a copper mining boom at nearby Biarra, plans for a township were lodged and a postal receiving office opened.

The township was officially named "Gallanani", though more commonly called Sandy Creek or Mount Esk, and quickly developed to include a range of government and commercial buildings and houses.

David and Mary McConnel of Cressbrook, two of the first European settlers in the Brisbane Valley, donated 8.1 hectares (20 acres) of land for the construction of a Presbyterian Church to mark their silver wedding anniversary.

Alexander Raff, Bigge's financial manager, and other local graziers donated money towards the building of St Andrew's.

[1] The land for the new church was in a choice position, being at the corner of Ipswich and Middle Streets in the commercial centre of the new township and close to the Sandy Creek crossing.

The former church was built in 1875 and on 12 February 1876 the Reverend David Watt, who had travelled from Scotland to serve as minister, conducted the first recorded service at St Andrew's.

[1][clarification needed] In 1884, two sawmills were opened and in 1886 the Brisbane Valley railway reached Esk, though it was located away from the established settlement.

Most buildings moved to the northern bank of Sandy Creek or were built there, including the Roman Catholic (1884/1905) and Anglican (1889) churches.

[1] The former church was considerably extended at the eastern end, almost doubling its capacity and suggesting a marked increase in the congregation.

[2] The former St Andrew's Church is a rectangular timber building set on low stumps and stands on a prominent site on the main Brisbane Valley Highway facing Middle Street.

[1] The former church is a landmark driving southwards out of Esk because of its location immediately opposite the crossing and its plain but distinctive form.

Its location indicates the position of the first township at a dray route and near a river crossing before the arrival of the railway in 1886 caused a relocation of the town centre.

The former St Andrew's Church has a long association with the people of Esk and the surrounding district, being a place of worship and social focus for over 125 years until its closure.