The Road to the Shore

This tour takes you to the historic coastal communities of Gander Bay and northern Bonavista Bay. On the way, you will travel through a wilderness of tall trees, blue lakes and crystal clear streams. In between the settlements, you will find white sandy beaches that stretch on forever and grassy fields that are perfect for picnics.

It all begins in Gander, the home of gander International Airport, the Crossroads of the World. Chosen by the British Air Ministry in the 1930s as the site of a new air base because of the low incidence of fog, the anticipated commercial boom was replaced by wartime traffic.

During the war years thousands of aircraft passed through Gander en route to battle. In addition to being a refuelling base it was a key point for convoy escort and coastal patrol aircraft. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery is just east of town on Route 1.

After the war the townsite was moved from north of the airport to west of the airport, and nothing remains of the old town except the paved roads through the birches.

In 1985 a plane crashed after takeoff and took the lives of 259 members of the United States 101st Airborne Regiment who were on their way home from peacekeeping in the Middle East. Four kilometres east on town in the area of the crash is Peacekeeper Park where the Silent Witness memorial stands in memory of the soldiers and crew.

The international terminal has a variety of exhibits on the history of aviation, including a second-floor display of photos and models.

At the rear of the Visitor Information Centre on Route 1 is Gill's trail, which provides a great opportunity to get into the woods. The trail has several loops and takes you to the shore of Gander Lake. It is great for winter tobogganing. there is a boardwalk nature trail around Cobbs Pond off Route 330. Gander also features excellent cross-country ski trails and a golf course.

Before going on the Loop you might want to visit the communities of Appleton and Glenwood, home of the Gander Bay boat. These sturdy narrow boats are now used by hunting and fishing guides. Originally they were used to take supplies from the railway to the people on the river.

Carmanville is the gateway to the Gander Loop and has an Information Centre where you can get brochures on the sites. One of the eeriest is a rustling ship, the Ahearn Trader, that went aground at Fredericton in 1960.

Half an hour past Carmanville you can take an unpaved road to ladle Cove and Aspen Cove. The ten minute drive takes you to two very pretty communities which are right on the water. To the left is Aspen Cove, a lobstering community and to the right is Ladle Cove and its old root cellars.

At the fishing community of Musgrave Harbour you can visit the Fisherman's Museum. Housed in a building constructed by Sir William Coaker, founder of the Fishermen's Protective Union, this building was the first retail store for fishermen in the area. Just off Musgrave Harbour, the Wadham Islands were used as a navigational guide to the Notre Dame Bay coastline in the early days of sea travel. Captains recited a prose poem to get their bearings from the "Offer Wadhams" Islands, from which the poem took its name.

There is a long beach here and excellent salmon rivers in the area. The beaches attracted migratory fishermen to the area in the 19th century because it offered vast expanses for drying their catch. Today you will find volleyball players and bird and iceberg watchers.

The park is named after Sir Frederick Banting, the developer of the insulin treatment who died in a plane crash near here. Beyond Musgrave Harbour is Deadman's Bay which is a treasure trove for beachcombers.

The next town is Lumsden. Originally Cat Harbour, it was renamed for the Rev. James Lumsden, the Methodist minister in the area in 1885. The community is fairly new as it was resettled from Lumsden North and Lumsden South. At Windmill Bight Provincial Park there is a shallow freshwater lagoon and a sandy beach. It is a favourite spot for windsurfers and a good place to collect delicious mussels.

Nearby, on the exposed terraces of Cape Freels you can follow in the footsteps of the Beothuks who lived here 1,200 to 1,700 years ago. Both Cape Freels and Newtown are built on oceanic barrens. There is no forest and lots of fog, but it is close to the fishing and sealing grounds. At sea level you'll find arctic-alpine plants growing in the same area as various southern species. Only on the oceanic barrens will you find this mix.

Newtown is a remarkable community just off Route 330 that is built on several tiny islands joined by bridges. Here you will find the architectural gem of the Gander Loop: a Queen Anne style house built by Benjamin Barbour for his grandson Alphaeus Barbour in 1904. The wealth generated from seal hunting and fishing made this grand house possible. The three-storey structure was acquired by the local heritage association and was opened to the public as part of the Barbour Hertiage site in 1993. A new Arts & Activity Centre as well as a Tourism Information Centre will be opening this 1997 season.

The house has a unique collection of period furniture and artifacts. Its staircase was built by a specialty carpenter imported from England to do the job. In the foyer are poster-size portraits of King Edward VII and his Queen. Upstairs is a suit Mr. Barbour wore only once; when he had an audience with the king. The extent of the family's business is outlined in a series of ledgers.

Newtown was also the home of Captain Job K. Barbour, a man with a remarkable story (as told in his book 48 Days Adrift). In November of 1929, he was driven off course in a fierce storm while returning from St. John's to Newtown. After forty-eight days of drifting on the North Atlantic he arrived in Tobermorey, Scotland, where he and his crew were given a fine welcome and his schooner was fitted with an engine for the journey home.

At Wesleyville you can visit the Bonavista North Community Museum and learn more about the people of the Northeast Coast, the hearty souls who developed a unique adaptation to a harsh environment. The museum's most notable artifact is a huge, horse-drawn hearse that the town purchased in 1925. There are also aboriginal artifacts and displays on the fishery and the seal hunt.

This area of Newfoundland is featured prominently in the work of David Blackwood. His dark colours and bleak themes reflect the struggle for survival.

A few miles past Valleyfield and Badger's Quay (pronounced Badger's Key), Route 320 takes you across the causeway to Greenspond. Once a thriving commercial centre, the town has a history dating back to the late 1600s. Visit the Community Museum, housed in the old courthouse, which tells of these first English settlers. One bit of advice get out of your car and walk around to meet the friendly residences.

Along the road you will wind past the towns of Wareham, Centreville, Trinity, Dover and Hare Bay and on to Gambo. The David Smallwood Provincial Park is built on Middle Brook River, a scheduled salmon river flowing to Freshwater Bay. One of the parks attractions is a salmon ladder and there is a working scale model of a water powered sawmill which emulates the real thing that was once so plentiful around the area.

Logging was the main industry until a forest fire in the 1960s devastated the region. From the lookout near the intersection of Route 1 and Route 320 you will see the glacial "kame" deposit which flowed off the sides of glaciers 10,000 years ago. West of the intersection on Route 1 is Square Pond Provincial Park. The children will like the playground and anglers can fish for Arctic char unique to Newfoundland. The char are more plentiful in the winter, and the park also has a boat launch and hiking trails.

To Scenic Tours: Central Region