Trinity Bay - stretching from Cape Bonavista on the west to Grates Cove on the east. Trinity Bay was known for it's rich fishing near the headlands, hence prompting early settlement in those areas and eventually further towards the head of the bay in search of abundant timber.
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The first pictures however are from Heart's Content. It was here that the first Trans-Atlantic telegraph cable was brought ashore. The Heart's Content Cable Station was built to facilitate the transmission of the first telegraph messages between the Old and New Worlds. This beautifully designed building, shown in the first picture below, is now a Provincial Historic Site, and is open to the public year-round. The second picture is of the Shag Rocks, which lie just off shore south of Heart's Content. These rocky spires make for one more example of the rugged beauty of this province.
Continuing south from Heart's Content, one passes another handful of fishing villages, which are listed below:
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Passing Dildo, one will soon see the sign post in the picture below - a personal favourite. The neighbouring town of Dildo was once a major whaling station, where ships of many nations came to purchase whale oil and whale meat. With the end of commercial whaling however, the plant closed, and Dildo lost it's mainstay industry. The fishing and forestry industry compensated for some of the lost jobs, but could not return the town to it's bustling heyday. While most people agree that the end of the commercial whaling industry is a good thing, there was one extremely important benefit hat resulted from the whale processing plant in Dildo, and that was the wealth of information gained about the whales being harvested. Unfortunately, it is only because of the thousands of whales that were killed that this information was obtained, but still, at least we learned something from our mistakes.
Continuing south, the towns of Old Shop, Spread Eagle, and Blaketown await, before one rejoins the TransCanada Highway at Whitbourne. This marks the end of Highway 80, and also marks the crossroads for the highways leading to Placentia Bay and St Mary's Bay. Whitbourne was an important crossroads long before the highway was built however, as this was also the point where the Newfoundland Railway branched off towards Argentia, and, for a while at least, north towards Heart's Content. While not on the coast, Whitbourne is included in this section due to it's proximity to Trinity Bay.
Whitbourne is also home to the Markland Cottage Winery - no trip to Newfoundland would be complete without a taste of Rodrigues Berry Wines. Savour the unique flavour of their six premium wines - Blueberry, Partridgeberry (Lingonberry), Barrens Blend (a blend of the Blueberry and Partridgeberry), Bakeapple (Cloudberry), Strawberry, Blueberry Dry and now Raspberry. All are made from wild indigenous berries, with no preservatives, pesticides or any other undesirable chemicals. I usually bring up a bottle of each every time I'm back in my native land. The picture below shows the winery itself. The two signs on the front read "Provincial Court" and "Winery Entrance Around Back." Subtle irony?
From Whitbourne one has the opportunity to visit the communities at the bottom of Trinity Bay and the head of Placentia Bay. A list of these communities is given below, with Placentia Bay towns on the right and Trinity Bay towns on the left:
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The town of Sunnyside is of interest due to it's proximity to the Hibernia construction site at Bull Arm. This massive project, completed in 1997, was a central focus of the people of this area for 5 years, and brought temporary prosperity to the region. Today the construction site is being redeveloped to be used in additional projects, which may bring back some of the prosperity associated with the Hibernia project.
The first picture is of the "gravity base structure" - the concrete pillar which now rises from the ocean floor on the Grand Banks to support the "topsides" structure. The mating of these two massive components is no small feat of engineering, a truly remarkable feat. The second picture is of the topsides facility itself. This is the section that contains all process facilities, accommodations for workers and the myriad of other components needed on an offshore oil production platform. Note the lifeboats in the foreground - each can carry 72 people, and are designed to be launched off the side of the platform by a fishing rod type apparatus. They should charge admission...
Looking on the other side of the highway, the North Atlantic Refining facility at Come By Chance looms on the horizon, marking one of he few examples of heavy industry on the island. Nearby Whiffen Head is the site of the Newfoundland Transshipment Facility, where Hibernia crude oil is stored awaiting shipment to refineries around the world. The picture below is of the North Atlantic Refining facility, and unfortunately doesn't give a very flattering impression. Known as an antiquated, dirty, and environmentally unfriendly facility, the refinery has had to make major improvements to clean up it's image, both with local residents and environmental groups and agencies. Progress is slow, but things are improving.
Continuing westward, past the hamlet of Glenview, one comes to the cross-roads at Goobies. It is here that the Heritage Run takes travellers to the Burin Peninsula, to places such as Fortune, Marystown, Grand Bank, Lawn and of course Burin. A trip to France is also possible here, as the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon are only a few hours away by ferry.
From Goobies, a side trip on Route 204 brings the traveller to Northwest Brook, Queen's Cove, Island Cove, Capelin Cove, Butter Cove, Gooseberry Cove, Little Heart's Ease and Southport. The next side trip takes the traveller to the communities of Hillview, Hatchet Cove and St. Jones Within. The majority of my travels in Eastern Newfoundland revolve around my cabin, located in the picturesque town of St. Jones Within (not to be confused with St. Jones Without - that's further along the coast). Most people in the town are employed in Clarenville, a 25 minute drive away, or work in the town as fishermen or boat-builders. The first two pictures are from the deck of my cabin, in winter and summer obviously. The body of water stretching to the right of each picture is the harbour itself. This opens onto Southwest Arm, which stretches inland from Trinity Bay. The second pair of photos are taken from a hill to above the town, and show nicely the secluded nature of this little town.
The nearby towns of Hatchet Cove and Hillview are also worth visiting, as Hatchet Cove is home to the new Brookside Golf Course, and Hillview is home to an excellent local artist, Mrs. Loranger. Continuing on to Clarenvilles, the towns of Deep Bight and Adeytown are passed. Arriving at Clarenville, one finds a major commercial centre, with a modern hospital, library, schools, restaurants & pubs, supermarkets and department stores. Clarenville is also home to the White Hills Ski Resort, offering downhill and cross-country facilities.
Further along the coast comes Trinity and finally Bonavista, with many smaller communities in-between. Hopefully I'll do some travelling with my camera soon, so check back in every now and then.
Avalon Region - Attractions
Eastern Region - Attractions