Adventure Central Newfoundland
Spruce, birch, and pine trees help to define Central Newfoundland and Labrador. Throughout the years, its environment has shaped the region’s economy with many residents working in the paper mills. Some of the area’s work force have lived through changes in recent years but Central Newfoundland continues to adapt and thrive in today’s economic climate.
Along the winding roads of the northeast coast (the Kittiwake Coast), the trees give way to communities where houses and wharves line the shore and fishing boats wait in the harbour. The people on this shore are descendants of West County English sailors who came to Newfoundland in the 17th century. The residents honor their traditions and their past.
Tourists love to come to the Kittiwake Coast to watch the whales and icebergs. On the south coast, some remote communities are accessible only by boat. In the central region, visitors can hike along the scenic Alexander Murray Trail in King’s Point or head to Terra Nova National Park for whale watching, bird watching, or hiking. Central Newfoundland has 55 marked trails and its waters have 22 species of whales and six types of icebergs. Campers can set up camp along the coastline or at the edge of the boreal forest.
History
The region’s history goes back 5,000 years to the Dorset people who carved soapstone pots at Newfoundland’s first quarry in Fleur de Lys. Visitors can visit the Dorset Soapstone Quarry Site where the Dorset Paleo Eskimo manufactured oil lamps and cooking pots. An adjacent museum has artifacts and exhibits about early aboriginal groups. The items on display are 1200-5000 year-old artifacts.
The Beothuks were also early inhabitants of central Newfoundland. They hunted and fished in the interior for part of the year and returned in spring to the Exploits and Gander rivers. Central Newfoundland remembers the Beothuks in several historic sites including the Mary March Museum in Grand Falls–Windsor.
Mary March was the European name given to one of the last Beothuks. Her native name was Demasduit. The Mary March Museum (open daily - May-October - 9 am-4:45 pm) focuses on aboriginal culture as well as other local history.
Two Beothuk sites can be found at Boyd’s Cove in eastern Notre Dame Bay. The largest one (3000 sq m) is located on top of a 6m glacial moraine (a deposit of sand, gravel, and boulders left behind by glaciers). Visitors can even see the outlines of Beothuk houses. They can learn more about this aboriginal people at the Beothuk Interpretative Centre (open early May-mid-October) in the community and view artifacts from the Beothuk site.
Attractions
- Smallwood Interpretation Centre
The Smallwood Interpretation Centre in Gambo is dedicated to Joseph R. Smallwood, the youngest Father of Confederation, who was born in the town. The centre is part of the Smallwood Heritage Complex. The Smallwood Interpretation Center focuses on the life and works of Joseph R. Smallwood, the first premier of Newfoundland as a province of Canada.
Joey’s Lookout was the first project developed for the Smallwood Heritage Complex. Joey’s Lookout has a 200 degree panoramic view of the Wetlands of Dominion and Mesh Points, Freshwater Bay, the Gambo Railway Trestle, and the Village Green, as well as the Smallwood Interpretation and Kittiwake Coast Information Centre. Joey’s Lookout is a wheelchair-accessible patio deck - complete with interpretative panels presenting details of Gambo’s history as a railway and logging town and a hunter and fisherman’s paradise. Gambo, with its three major salmon rivers, is a great place for salmon fishing.
- Barbour Living Heritage Village
The Barbour Living Heritage Village in New-Wes-Valley is a must-see for tourists. The Barbour Site, a historic site with 18 buildings, includes two historic homes, waterfront premises with an art gallery and theatre, fisherman's stage with interpretation, craft shop and visitor reception centre, as well as an on-site restaurant serving traditional Newfoundland meals. The village tells the story of the Barbour family and life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The site also has a Methodist Schoolhouse and other buildings. Just down the road, visitors will find Musgrave Habour and Lumsden as well as the sandy beaches of Windmill Bight.
- Sunny Cottage Heritage Centre
The Sunny Cottage Heritage Centre in Harbour Breton is a Queen Anne style home (the only one in the Coast of the Bays) built in the early 1900s for a local merchant - Mr. John J. Rose. Visitors can learn about the history of Harbour Breton in this house in which each room - from the Servant’s Quarters to the Widow’s Walk - has its own theme. Tour guides in period costume will guide you through this historic home.
During May–October 2010, the town will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the home of John J. Rose. Various events will honor the occasion including the Stewart Family Day (August 14). The Stewart family inherited the home and occupied it until 1996. As well, the Sunny Cottage Birthday Party will be held on August 31. In 1996, The Sunny Cottage Heritage Centre was the winner of the prestigious Manning Award for the preservation and presentation of historic places.
- North Atlantic Aviation Museum
The North Atlantic Museum in Gander (‘The Crossroads of the World’) shows the town’s aviation history and its role in World War 11 and in later years. Visitors can see several vintage aircraft (including the Lockheed Hudson Bomber) as well as civilian and military artifacts.
‘Things to Do’ in Central Newfoundland and Labrador
