Central Newfoundland is part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Map
Map of Central Newfoundland

Communities edit

  • 1 Baie Verte   — primarily a mining town, it offers visitors iceberg watching, historical mining sites and hiking trails
  • 2 Grand Falls-Windsor — the largest city in and the main service centre of the region
  • 3 Lewisporte — a deep-water port and shipping centre on Notre Dame Bay
  • 4 Wesleyville   — a town created in the 19th century when people were resettled from nearby islands
  • 5 Gander — a small city with a large airport that became famous for taking in 6,600 stranded trans-Atlantic flight passengers when planes were forced to land on Sep 11, 2001
  • 6 Gambo   — known for its Smallwood Days celebration and its Loggers' Sports Festival
  • 7 Glovertown — a small, seaside town that is a stepping-off point for Terra Nova National Park
  • 8 Pilley's Island   — a mining town
  • 9 Twillingate — the "Iceberg Capital of the World" known for its scenery and the icebergs that are seen offshore in the spring months

Other destinations edit

  • 1 Fogo Island and Change Islands — about 100 islands strung out described by Captain Wadham as “a parcel of dammed rugged isles”.
  • 2 Little Bay Islands   — once home to 500 people, almost all of the remaining 55 residents were relocated in 2019, leaving the town vacant

Understand edit

 
Fogo Island

The economy of the centre of Newfoundland is based on forestry, and pulp and paper, so the terrain is, of course, heavily forested. The coast along the north of the region, however, is rugged and spectacular. Historic fishing villages are perched along the craggy coastline and spread through scattered islands connected by causeway or by ferry.

People settled on the coast, like most of Newfoundland, to fish for cod. Cod sustained people for centuries. In 1992, the government imposed a moratorium on fishing for cod, and the cod fishery was closed. The upheaval throughout rural Newfoundland was devastating with hundreds of small rural communities – outports – losing their livelihoods almost overnight. Fogo Island and Change Islands have fared better than many other remote fishing communities. Many of the fishermen of Fogo Island have adapted their fishery to other species such as crab and shrimp. Tourism also provides some support to the coastal communities.

Newfoundlanders are well-known for their folk music, and of the most famous Newfoundland songs is I'se the B'y ("I am the guy"). The lyrics list some of communities of the islands:

I took Liza to a dance / As fast as she could travel
And every step that she did take / Was up to her knees in gravel.
Hip yer partner, Sally Tibbo / Hip yer partner, Sally Brown
Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour / All around the circle!

Get in edit

  • 1 Gander International Airport (YQX IATA). Served by Air Canada and Sunwing Airlines, with daily flights from St. John's and Halifax.    
  • By car, Grand Falls-Windsor is about 430 km (4 hr 45 min) west of St. John's, 210 km (2 hr 15 min) east of Deer Lake, and 475 km (5 hr) east of Port Aux Basques, when travelling on the Trans-Canada Highway.
  • DRL Bus. One bus daily from St. John's, and one bus from Port aux Basques to Grand Falls-Windsor, Lewisporte and Gander.

Get around edit

The Trans-Canada Highway (#1) is the east-west route through the region, while provincial highways 330 and 340 will take you north to the coast.

See and do edit

 
Long Point Lighthouse
  • Long Point Lighthouse, a few minutes from Twillingate, has a beautiful area for looking out over the ocean to view whales and icebergs.
  • Fogo Island and Change Islands offer stunning natural wildlife and scenery such as humpback whales, caribou herds, soaring seabirds, and towering icebergs.
  • 1 North Atlantic Aviation Museum, 135 Trans-Canada Highway, +1 709 256-2923. Summer: daily 9AM-7PM, rest of the year: M-F 9AM-5PM. The history of aviation in Gander, once an important refuelling stop on trans-Atlantic flights. Museum exhibits cover wartime operations during World War II and the town's role in hosting 6600 travellers when 38 civilian and 4 military flights diverted to Gander during the September 11th, 2001 attacks. Adult (19-60) $8, senior (61 +) or youth (6-18) $7, student – $7 (ID required), child (0-5) free.
  • Walking trails from Fogo lead to resettled villages of Lion's Den, Shoal Tickle, Eastern Tickle and Locke's Cove. Also, there are trails to scenic Brimstone Head, Fogo Head and Waterman's Brook.
  • Take a boat tour from Twillingate to see the icebergs. Early July is usually the best time.
  • 2 Botwood Flying Boat Museum, 15 Airbase Place (Along Route 350 off Trans Canada Highway), +1 (709) 257-3782, . Jun 10 - Sep 30. An anti-submarine base from WWII is now the home of the flying boat museum. Museum has military equipment, anti-submarine warfare history and a flying boat parked outside. Admission by donations.

Eat edit

In the coastal fishing communities, fresh seafood, of course.

Drink edit

  • Auk Island Winery, Twillingate. Do a wine tour and taste wines made from local berries and iceberg water.

Stay safe edit

When driving, keep your eyes peeled for moose on the highways. Especially in the spring rutting season, moose will dart from the forest onto the highways. Car-moose crashes are frequent and are a serious cause of fatalities (human and moose). An encounter between a car and a 500-kg, 2-m-tall moose at high speed is something to be avoided.

Go next edit

This region travel guide to Central Newfoundland is a usable article. It gives a good overview of the region, its sights, and how to get in, as well as links to the main destinations, whose articles are similarly well developed. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.