Visitor Information Centre Staff Tour the Coast of Bays Region L-R: Bev Hardy (Deer Lake), Louise Snow (Notre Dame Junction), Pat Mauger (Port aux Basques), Rita Mercer (Argentia), Shirley Lethbridge (Clarenville), and Glenda Wareham (Whitbourne) "Newfoundland's Best Kept Secret, Breathtaking, Blown Away, Amazing, and Definitely Worth the Drive." These were just some of the comments made by the Department of Tourism's Provincial Visitor Information Centre Staff (VICS) as they toured the Coast of Bays Region for the first time. Part of a larger Central region tour, the group arrived in the Coast of Bays on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 8 and left on the morning of Thursday, June 10th. The tour group consisted of ten individuals representing the Provincial Visitor Information Centres throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, including North Sydney and the Smallwood Ferry. Although all individuals have traveled extensively throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, neither had previously visited the Coast of Bays Region. Therefore, they requested a tour of our area so they could provide the necessary guidance to tourists seeking information. However, what they did not expect to find was a destination that could rival the likes of Gros Morne National Park. One VICS indicated that the scenery as one drives into Woody Point, in Gros Morne, is one of her favourite provincial images, however she went on further to say that, she has seen 10 such scenes in the Coast of Bays.

Day one of the tour began at 2:00 PM at the Exploits Motel where the Baxter House, Tourism Coordinator for the Coast of Bays met up with the tour group to act as tour guide as they traveled down the Bay d'Espoir Highway. As the group drove down they were surprised by the number of caribou in the area. As they proceeded through the High Country and along Hermitage and Connaigre Bays towards Harbour Breton they were amazed and blown away by the view of the mountains, something none of them thought existed in the Coast of Bays. The first stop on the tour was the Harbour Breton Town Hall where the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Councilors greeted the group. This was followed by a presentation on Harbour Breton's history given by Doug Wells of the Sunny Cottage Corporation. The group then proceeded to Sunny Cottage via Deadman's Cove, the lighthouse, and the Monument to the Children who died as a result of the Landslide. Once at Sunny Cottage the tour group received a heart filled tour from Pansy Blackmore who once lived in the home. Members of the tour group raved about Sunny Cottage and how it is one of the better heritage sites they had seen. The tour was followed by a delicious meal of Pea Soup and Dumplings. After supper, music and dancing ensued and a good time was had by all.

Day 2 started early as the group were expected in Belleoram. As they drove into the community they were once again amazed by what they saw.

They were greeted by the Mayor who proceeded to take them on a tour of the newly constructed Municipal Centre, the Family Resource Centre, The John Cluett House and the St. Lawrence Anglican Church. Next on the agenda was a visit to English Harbour West to view Petite's Museum, and the Olde Oven Inn where the group was treated to coffee and delicious muffins. With a final stop at Yarn Point Knitters to see the types of crafts being produced in the area the group proceeded to Jipujijkuei Kuespem Park where the Ranger informed them of the services available and more importantly how to pronounce the Park's name. Upon leaving most seemed to confident that if asked they could do an adequate job at pronunciation. Next was dinner, followed by a boat tour down through Bay d'Espoir. The result of the boat tour was yet another fantastic experience. The boat took the group to view the Conne River Aquaculture site where they were given the opportunity to view how these fish are grown, and to feed the fish. They enjoyed this so much that they lost track of time and arrived late for supper in Conne River, where a delicious feed of steelhead trout awaited.

Saqamaw Misel Joe then proceeded to inform the group about the history of the Micmac in Newfoundland and showed the group the Birch Bark Canoe which they plan to paddle to Nova Scotia to the site of the PowWow. This proved to be a very informative evening and provided everyone with a better understanding of the Micmac traditions. The group was interested in visiting the Conne River craft shop and most went away with a little piece of Micmac culture.

Following the visit to Conne River the group then proceeded to the Motel where they spent the evening relaxing and discussing the events of the past couple of days. To put it concisely - THEY WERE BLOWN AWAY BY THE SCENERY AND THE FRIENDLINESS OF THE PEOPLE. The only regret was they could not stay longer and visit all the communities. This is a regret shared by the Coast of Bays Tourism Association, who would have liked to have been able to spend more time in all communities, but time constraints did not make that possible. However, we are confident that when this group speaks of the Coast of Bays region all communities will benefit. Be assured that we now have some very good ambassadors working with us in the Visitor Information Centres around the province.

For information about tourism in the Coast of Bays region, contact:
Baxter House, Tourism Coordinator
Coast of Bays Corporation
P.O. Box 310
St. Alban's, Newfoundland
A0H 2E0
Phone: 709-538-3401
Fax: 709-538-3627
E-mail: cobta@cancom.net