This tour will take you off Route 1 onto the Port au Port Peninsula, where you will encounter a vibrant and exciting culture that dates back to the days when the French colonial fishing fleet used these shores. The traditions, lifestyle and heritage of these early settlers still dominate this small pocket of French-speaking communities with such names as Cap St-George, La Grand'Terre (Mainland) and L'Anse aux Canards (Black Duck Brook.)
Take either Route 490 or 460 from Route 1 through Stephenville to a part of Newfoundland once referred to as "The French Shore," a large stretch of coastline where France held fishing and processing rights until 1904. At one time the French Shore included all the territory from Cape Bonavista to Cape Ray.
Stephenville, the main service centre for the St. George's-Port au Port area, was originally known as Indian Creek. It was renamed by a group of Acadian settlers in 1844 for one of their party, Stephen LeBlanc. Stephenville came into its own during World War II when the United States government built Harmon Air Force Base on the outskirts of the town. The base is now part of the town's industrial park. Stephenville has the distinction of being Canada's first International Free Trade Zone. It has international schedule alternate use airport and is a secondary industrial centre with a population of over 10,000.
During July and August the Stephenville Festival attracts visitors to its theatrical productions, which range from original works to professional quality productions of Broadway hits.
A rewarding side trip on Route 462 off Route 460 takes you to Fox Island River. Half way along this road is the Point du Mal lookout, which provides an unexcelled view of the Port au Port Bay. The stretch of sandy shore is perfect for beachcombing.
Geologists and rock hounds will want to take another short drive off Route 460 to Lead Cove where a small cave is all that remains of an early lead mining operation. The Port au Port Peninsula is one of the many geologically interesting parts of the province, and such minerals as marcasite, galena and calcite are found here. However, the main economic mineral is the limestone that was quarried at Aguathuna for use in steel mills. The quarry also holds 350 million year old column of coquina limestone.
Return to Route 460 and travel west to Campbells Creek- named for its first settler- and through picturesque fishing villages where the traditional way of life is carried on much as it has for centuries. Photographers will love Abrahams Cove, Jerry's Nose and Ship Cove, which probably got its name from the many ships that went aground in the region. Continue on through Lower Cove to Sheaves Cove where just a short distance from the highway you will see a waterfall and spectacular wave-cut terraces,
Then it's on through March Point, DeGrau and Red Brook to Cap St-George, the heart of French Newfoundland. Each August the people of Cap St-George and surrounding communities hold "Une Longue Veillee," a folk festival that celebrates their French heritage. In recent years this festival has attracted traditional musicians, singers and dancers from all over the province and a host of visitors and performers from the Maritime Provinces, Quebec and the French Islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon.
Things to see include the remains of the lighthouse that was destroyed by fire in 1931 and the small park at Land's End, which is a great place to takes photographs of the coastline.
Keep your ears tuned for the accent and dialect of this region. French and English influences have blended to produce a unique form of speech that combines often surprising elements of both languages. You have to hear it to appreciate it.
Retrace your steps to the junction of Routes 460 and 463, and drive to Three Rock Cove to see the unusual boulders that have given the cove its name. Continue on to Mainland, a community that is over 200 years old, from where you can see Red Island, named by Captain James Cook in 1767 when he noticed its reddish coloured cliffs. Red Island was used as a fishing station by the Basques in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and then by the French fisherman of St. Pierre, Brittany and the Acadian communities of Nova Scotia until early this century. Mainland was settled by emigrants from France and runaways from the French navy who found their way to this and other tiny hamlets on the peninsula. The descendants of these first settlers still live here and in such communities as Black Duck Brook, Winterhouse and Lourdes.
On the northern edge of the peninsula is appropriately named Long Point that juts out into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. To reach it continue on through Black Duck Brook.
"Long Point" from
Brian Bursey's Exploring Newfoundland
Piccadilly Head Provincial Park is on Route 463 between West Bay Centre and Piccadilly. This park is an ideal base for exploring the peninsula. It is an excellent site for camping and offers picnic facilities, recreational swimming along the sandy shore and a hiking trail along the shoreline.
As you make your way back toward Route 1, you will notice the peculiar shape of the Port au Port Peninsula. Residents of Port au Port, which is located on the narrowest part of the isthmus, enjoy the luxury of being able to fish in both Port au Port Bay and St. George's Bay.
Returning to Route 1, via Route 460, you will travel through wooded valleys and past rivers and lakes that are teeming with fish. This is a popular area for local weekend cottage dwellers.
Approximately an hour's drive will bring you to Blue Ponds Provincial Park near Corner Brook. The park has two freshwater ponds, fed by subterrean limestone-based springs which turn the water a peculiar blue-green colour. These ponds, visible from the highway, are especially distinctive against the shore bed of freshwater mollusc sediment. This unique area is ideal for a swim or just relaxing.
When you reach Stag Lake Provincial Park you are almost to Corner Brook. This scenic picnic park is a favourite afternoon and weekend haunt of that city's residents. At nearby Pinchgut Lake there is a seaplane base that is used by sportsmen on their way to the interior of the island.
To Scenic Tours: Western Region