Quick Area Guide
Gabriola Island ... the closest and most easily accessed Gulf Island to Vancouver ... is known to many as 'The Queen of the Gulf Islands' and 'The Isle of the Arts.' Daily scheduled flights connect Silva Bay to the Vancouver International Airport ... hourly BC Ferries provides a 20 minute link to Nanaimo (trading area 123,000 people) on Vancouver Island ... and more than 14 'super-ferries' arrive each day in Nanaimo from the Vancouver Mainland. Our island lies approximately 4.9 kilometers east of Nanaimo in the Strait of Georgia. The island is about 14 km long and 4.2 km wide, on average, with more than 45 km of coastline. Our terrain includes rocky shores, sand & shell beaches, beautiful forests and pastoral farmland. We have the most beautiful & protected cruising waters in the world ... an abundance of birds, wildlife and sea mammals ... fabulous fishing ... a challenging golf course ... 3 gorgeous oceanfront Provincial Parks ... a Museum ... countless petroglyphs ... hiking trails to explore ... and sheltered moorage is available in Silva Bay & Degnen Bay. With half the rainfall of Vancouver, a temperate West Coast climate, clean air, low crime and very affordable real estate, Gabriola offers a unique blend of rural island living with virtually every modern shopping & service convenience, including doctors, dental clinic, banking & legal services, deli, a pharmacy, a full service grocery store, high speed Internet cable, and much, much more ... Our Folklife Village, which you may remember from Expo '86, has since been reconstructed on Gabriola and presently accommodates various shops and boutiques and Coast Realty Group (Gabriola Village) Ltd. Community services include a Seniors Center, Golf Club, Community hall, several Churches, and clubs & services to meet most personal needs. Essential Island serviced includes our doctors, dentists, full time RCMP police, post office, 2 fire halls, & ambulance service. School begins with pre-school and continues on Gabriola Island through Grade 7. High school is provided in Nanaimo with school bus transportation for students attending schools both on the Island and in Nanaimo. Malaspina College in Nanaimo offers a full variety of programs and is easily reached from our ferry terminal via public bus transportation leaving from downtown Nanaimo. While you are looking for your new Island home or property, accommodation arrangements can be made for our waterfront lodges/resorts, our islands many wonderful Bed & Breakfasts, Island Vacation home rentals, or at either campground. For many people from all over the world, Gabriola Island has become the recreation & retirement destination of choice. Perhaps this explains why our 5,500 (+) residents are bonded by such an intense feeling of community spirit. While on the island, visit our centrally located Gabriola Island office and let any one of our island resident Realtors help you find just the right property. Let us share our Gabriola Island experience with you!
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Golf and Tennis
Gabriola Golf & Country Club
Enjoy a challenging nine hole golf course overlooking Hoggan Lake, and relax in a full-service log clubhouse with a beautiful view across the course. Non-members are welcome.
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Preserves and Parks
Gabriola Sands Provincial Park
Twin Beaches Park, which is what the locals call it, is like 3 parks in one. The Taylor Bay portion faces west and is sunny, has a grassy playground area, picnic area, pit toilets and a pump to wash off sand before you drag it into the car. The water is not drinkable so if you need refreshment, you can alway walk up to the Twin Beaches Shopping Centre which has a variety of shops and services. The view to the west toward Nanaimo and Newcastle Island (another park accessible by boat or by tiny passenger ferry from Nanaimo. It makes a great day trip from Gabriola.) There is so much to watch from this beach: BC Ferries, sailboats, private and commercial fishing boats and because Nanaimo Harbour has such deep water, there are often big freighters loading up for trips to China, Japan and more places that we dream about. Take a low tide walk to the left along Taylor Bay to the must-see limestone formations, called the Malaspina Galleries. The hooded galleries, carved out of sandstone by natural elements, are 4 metres high and stretch for about 100 metres along the rocky shoreline of the small park. This is perhaps the most interesting and perfectly sculptured limestone formation on the Gulf Islands. It's one of our 'special places'. This marvelous beach is where the annual Sand Castle Competition is held. 'The event held annually in August is dependent upon the tides - each year the event date changes with the tides. 2003 had an 11 am start gave contestants 3« hours to complete their sculptures in time for judging, with all entries swept by the tides by 6 pm.' One beach looks northeast out from Pilot Bay across the Georgia Strait to the mountainous view of the Sunshine Coast. In the spring the view is crystal clear, with the mountainous snowcaps across the strait gleaming above emerald forest and dark blue waters. The other beach looks west from Taylor Bay to Newcastle Island and the approach to Departure Bay in Nanaimo. The gradual slope of both beaches is safe for small children and there is a large grassy playfield for summer games.
Drumbeg Park
As you drive along South Rd, watch for the Drumbeg Park sign at the entrance to Coast Rd., you'll see another at Stalker Rd. and you're almost there. Beware of that final leg into the park. It can be a little rough because of our natural Gabriola speed bumps (also known as `moon pools' on rainy days and pot holes if you live in a city). Drumbeg Park is on the south end of Gabriola Island looking out onto Gabriola Passage and Valdez Island to the south. Stop and take a look at the large interpretive sign, commissioned by the Heartlands Conservancy Society and the Gabriola Theatre Group. It was created by Gabriola artist Paul Grignon. 'As well as an introduction to Drumbeg, including a map and a short history of the park, many of the creatures living at Drumbeg are featured. The sign showing land-based creatures focuses on the Garry oak meadow ecosystem, with its beautiful wildflowers, while the ocean-based sign highlights inhabitants of the intertidal zone as well as sea creatures of the area. The kiosk was carefully placed, with advice from the BC Parks First Nations archaeologist, to avoid disturbing First Nations archaeological sites'. ..good picture and article from the BC Parks Newsletter, Visions, February 2000, Volume 11, Number 1...Pages 5 and 6. A low tide beach walk north will take you all the way to Silva Bay. Plan on a couple of hours and you need to be agile to clamber over rocks. This goes beyond the perimeters of the park, but the beach belongs to the public up to the high tide line and if you encounter any private docks, you are permitted to cross them. The park contains a kilometer long sand and pebble beach with striking sandstone and conglomerate rock formations, which can be seen at low tide. This small, unsupervised, but well used beach, is wonderful for family swims and sun tanning. Bodies, chilled by the ocean warm up on the hot rocks and towels are spread out to dry. The pebbly beach becomes sandy about 15 feet offshore in a low tide. Be cautious swiming elsewhere due to the strong tidal currents in Gabriola Passage. It runs at 8 knots with many whirl pools when the tide is changing. Gabriola Passage is on the list to become a Federal Marine Park because of the remarkable sea life. A divers delight. 'Approximately 394 feet (120Metres) wide at its narrowest point with an average maximum depth of 98 feet (30 metres), its tidal currents can run up to 8 knots. As a result, diving is limited to intervals of slackwater. Gabriola Passage is an area of incredibly diverse marine life and colourful rocky ledges. Inhabitants include Rock Scallops, Kelpl Greenlings, Lingcod, Tiger Rockfish, Cabezons, many species of anemones, Urchins, Giant Barnacles (good buoyancy is a must) and Giant Pacific Octopus.' More at: Ocean Explorers Diving Adventues & Tours On either side of the entrance are sandstone rock shorelines, convoluted by the ages, pocked by wind and sea. If you snorkel to look at anemones and sponges stuck to the side of rocks, be careful of the fast tidal currents in Gabriola Passage. Beach shoes give necessary barnacle protection. A grassy park, pit toilets, picnic tables, hiking trails and an interpretive shelter are all provided. No garbage containers provided, so you need to `pack it in and pack it out'.
Cox Community Park
Descanso Bay-is one of the campsites on Gabriola and the only one within a park. -It is a 40 acre oceanfront park with 32 wooded campsites, some large enough for small RVs -and is located at 595 Taylor Bay Road, (the first left turnoff as you leave the ferry) and only .9 km from the ferry terminal. -happily, it's open year round. -and has picnic tables plus launch area for canoes and kayaks. -Descanso Bay has two oyster bays which provide many delights for campers and day visitors. This is a new park (new to the Regional District in 2002. It was previously owned and operated by the Coastal Community Credit Union) made possible by a generous donation from the Coastal Community Credit Union, the citizens of Gabriola, Mudge and Decoursey Islands and the Regional District of Nanaimo. COX COMMUNITY PARK ... In addition to the 40 acre park, it has an adjoining 113 acre community park whose trails are currently being upgraded by Gabriola Island volunteers.
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Shopping
Folklife Village
Folklife Village, 575 North Rd., is at the centre and is one of the largest recycled shopping centres in BC. It was originally constructed as the 'Folklife Pavilion' for EXPO 86 held in Vancouver. Folklife Village is home to a wide variety of goods and services including: Realtors, 1 licensed Bistro's, ladies clothing, Visitor Info Centre, Gabriola Island Chamber of Commerce office, paint & hardware, gallery/gift store, drug store/photo developing, food market, video store, public washrooms, pay phones, ATM and the Public Library.
Gabriola Centre
Gabriola Centre, 580 North Rd., is also across and street, beside Windecker's mini mall. The newest addition to Gabriola shopping has health food/lunch, optical, consignment clothing, bookkeeping, lawyer, ATM, bank, Computer game place for teens, photocopying, computer services and fishing licenses.
Gabriola Professional Centre
Gabriola Professional Centre, 590 North Rd., is adjacent to Gabriola Centre and shares the same parking area. You'll find realtors, dentist, massage therapist, hair salon, licensed French restaurant, naturopathic physician, medical doctor, chiropractor, medical lab, and insurance.
Twin Beaches
Twin Beaches Shopping Centre is near Gabriola Sands Park at Berry Point Rd and Ricardo Rd. and offers a neighborhood grocery store, accounting office, automotive repair, liquor store, bookstore, video rental,and bakery.
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