Crow Head

A bit about the town where we are.

Twillingate is a town of 2,121 people located on the Twillingate Islands("Toulinquet" - meaning has been lost in the mists of time) in Notre Dame Bay, off the north eastern shore of the island of Newfoundland. The town is about 100 kilometres north of Gander.

Incorporated on September 30, 1965, the town of Twillingate also incorporates smaller former localities such as Back Harbour, Bayview, Durrell, Gillard's Cove, Jenkins Cove, Manuel's Cove, and Wild Cove. The Twillingate Islands provide an excellent sheltered harbour and easy access to the rich fishing grounds nearby.

Twillingate Island is connected to mainland Newfoundland via the Walter B. Elliott causeway. The town is also one of the oldest ports on the island. It was a historic fishing community, but due to the collapse of the cod fishing industry and subsequent federal moratorium on fishing northern cod announced July 2, 1992, its economy now relies more on tourism. There is some work in construction, logging, crab and lobster fishing, seal hunting, and health care. Twillingate has a 50-bed hospital (31 long term care beds, 19 acute care beds) affiliated with Memorial University Medical School in St. John’s.

The French had been fishing in the area possibly as early as 1500, but the first European settlers did not arrive until the 17th century. The settlers were mostly made up of fishermen and their families from the West Country in England. The native Beothuk managed to survive until the early 19th century in small numbers near Twillingate and the mouth of the Exploits River.

The region is known for its scenic, rugged coastline and its quiet and friendly atmosphere. Icebergs can be seen around the coastline in the summer months. Twillingate is part of Iceberg Alley which stretches from the coast of Labrador to the southeast coast of the island of Newfoundland. Icebergs can be found most commonly in late May and early June.

Despite their size, icebergs move an average of 17 kilometers (about 10 miles) a day. These icebergs originate from the glaciers of western Greenland and may have an interior temperature of -15 to -20°C. Icebergs are usually confined to move close to the coast by winds and currents. On a foggy April night in 1912 it was one of these icebergs that sank the Titanic.

Twillingate is also the home of North America’s largest population of humpback whales. This August has been unusually warm, so there have been no significant sightings of icebergs or whales.

On August 15, 2020, NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, announced Twillingate as the Kraft Hockeyville Canada Champion. As the winner, the George Hawkins Arena received a quarter of a million dollars in upgrades.

Long Point Lighthouse, built in 1876, is one of the most photographed landmarks on the Northeast Coast of Newfoundland, is located at Crow Head, Twillingate.

More than 300 feet above sea level, this is a lookout point that offers a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean with the possibility of viewing icebergs, whales, seals and sea birds. Once operated by several full-time lighthouse keepers, it guided ships safely on foggy and stormy nights. Today, the lighthouse is still operational but is now operated by only one lighthouse keeper year-round.

From its prominent location, Long Point has provided navigational aid to countless ships navigating the busy shipping and fishing route. During the second half of the 19th century, the Newfoundland colonial government, in cooperation with Britain and Canada, established inexpensive but effective light stations around its coastline.

Long Point was established, not because it was crucial to overseas shipping, but for the welfare of countless fishermen and coastal traders engaged along the northeast coast.

Long Point was the base for lifesaving and weather reporting services in the region. Fishermen, sealers and hunters relied heavily on the services pr0vided at Long Point and consequently held light-keepers in great esteem.

Rainy weather finally caught up with us. The harbour was completely fogged in when we got up, but it cleared very quickly. It rained while we dawdled over breakfast and reading newspapers online. When the rain let up, we headed out to explore. We went to the lighthouse and drank in the views. No whales. No ice bergs. Just spectacular views of the rugged coastline.

Then we drove to the hospital – strictly to see it, not to avail ourselves of its services. We just wanted to see it. There were some information boards extolling the contributions of Dr. Wilfred Grenfell. He was born in England and graduated medical school in 1888. The Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen sent Grenfell to Newfoundland in 1892 to improve the plight of coastal inhabitants and fishermen. He recruited nurses and doctors and along with small cottage hospitals, he helped to set up schools, orphanages, cooperatives and social work agencies, thereby greatly improving the lives of thousands of Newfoundlanders.

Beside the hospital is a lovely pond – it’s actually a small lake, but everything bigger than a mud puddle in Newfoundland is called a pond. There is a fountain in the middle of the pond. There is a 1.3 km walking trail (flat, no gnarled roots and no steps so we walked the whole thing) around the pond, with memorial plaques on all the lamp posts, benches, flower boxes, planters, and gazebos honouring loved ones. It is beautifully done and meticulously maintained.

We have tickets for a dinner theatre tonight – we had to pay for the tickets after noon. We had a bit of time to use up, so we drove along the coastline for a while. We saw colourful houses are perched on every cliff, each with a huge stack of firewood. We found a red bench (not a Parks Canada one) and sat for a while to simply enjoy the view and the soft lapping of the waves.

We got gas for the long trip tomorrow and then went to the theatre to pay for our tickets and then we headed back to home base. We are going to treat ourselves to an afternoon inside. Doug is working on a basketball exam that he has to have ready to send out to the members of the referees’ association shortly after we get home. I’m going to hunker down with some more episodes of The Crown on Netflix.

Our dinner theatre evening was very enjoyable. We were seated with Theresa and Perry who live near Barrie. The dinner portions were huge and delicious. They both had cod; I had salmon; Doug had stuffed chicken. The evening's entertainment featured songs from Newfoundland, skits, jokes and just plain fun. A fine way to end off our stay in Twillingate. Tomorrow, we are off to Rocky Harbour which is located very near to Gros Morne National Park.Read more