A tidbit of info. about" St. George's Bay" including other points and places in western Newfoundland, Island portion of our province, "Newfoundland and Labrador" ENJOY! Three Rivers Scenic Drive Salmon Rivers and St. George's Bay Take Route 406 back to Route 1 and head north for 60 km and turn off onto Route 405, the beginning of Three Rivers Drive, a scenic drive named for the three salmon rivers in this area. The Robinson's, Crabbes, and Barachois rivers offer excellent sports salmon angling. If you're from outside the province, you will need a licenced guide to fish these rivers. Ask at any Visitor Information Centre for a list of guides. These guides know the best places to cast a line. Keep an eye and an ear out for the great horned owl that nests in the area. Route 405 takes you to small communities along the southern shore of St. George's Bay with such Scottish names as Loch Leven and Highlands. Along Route 404, you will find coastal communities like Jeffrey's and, further on, Heatherton. Like their neighbours in the Codroy Valley to the south, residents here farm some of the best agricultural land on the island. The forests also provide resources for sawmills and the paper mill at Corner Brook. The Caribou Trail The Road to Burgeo A few kilometres past Barachois Pond Provincial Park is the intersection with Route 480 - the aptly named Caribou Trail - which winds 148 kilometres through the forests and barrens of the rugged interior to the south coast community of Burgeo. This is an excellent area to see some of the 60,000 woodland caribou that inhabit Newfoundland. Burgeo is one of the largest towns on the south coast of Newfoundland. The name of the town was originally Portuguese "virgio," which evolved in two stages into Burgeo. It's about 95 km east of Port aux Basques, and can also be reached by coastal boat from Rose Blanche on Route 470. Burgeo is located on an island connected to the main portion of Newfoundland by a short causeway. Settled by Europeans in the 1700s, it has grown into a major service and transportation centre for the western half of the south coast. From here you can get a coastal boat west to Grand Bruit, La Poile and Rose Blanche, and east to Ramea, Grey River, Francois, Macallum and Gaultois. A main attraction in the area is Sandbanks Provincial Park. Sand dunes are relatively rare in Newfoundland, but you'll find them here. These fragile dunes are covered by grass and beach pea, and are easily eroded, so please stay on the trails. Plants and animals that tolerate both fresh and salt water are found here. Salt water flows up Grepsey Brook to Heron Pond at high tide, while the reverse happens at low tide. The park is also a good place to see shore birds like sandpipers and water fowl such as ducks and geese. Sea kayakers will find this an excellent place to dip a paddle. An Outdoor Adventure Cruise Tiny Towns, Towering Cliffs In summer the coastal boat sails from Burgeo to Grey River and Francois five days a week. On Thursday it sails from Burgeo to Francois, McCallum and Hermitage-Sandyville. A separate ferry sails between Burgeo, Ramea and Grey River every day. Ramea, an island community, is 20 km southeast of Burgeo, and the crossing time is about 80 minutes. More than a thousand people live here. The community's name is believed to be derived from the French word for branches and refers to the island's many streams. Ramea was known to early sailors and was an early fishing station. American fishermen held rights here, and in other places along the Newfoundland coast, in the early 19th century. Ship building and outfitting were major industries here, and the local trading company did business in Europe, the West Indies and South America. Grey River, a community of just more than 200 people, is backed by hills that rise to 1,000 feet (305 metres.) A spectacular narrow passage leads to a sheltered basin. This community was originally called Little River, and when measles broke out here in the early 1900s, the people wired St. John's for medicine. It was dispatched, but was sent to another community called Little River on the northeast coast. Many people died as a result of the mixup, and after that disaster the name was changed to Grey River. Next along the coast is Francois, which the residents pronounce `Fransway.' Just more than 200 people live here on a narrow strip of land at the head of a fjord. The town is completely hidden from the sea. The big hill behind the village is called The Friar. There are few trees and no land for farming, but the rich fishing grounds nearby sustained the community. McCallum is the next stop. Nearby islands provide its harbour with good shelter. The French fished this area in the 1500s, but the community is named for the man who was governor of Newfoundland from 1898 to 1901. Before the Europeans came here, it's likely that aboriginal peoples fished here. Permanent settlement began after the Seven Years' War when St. Pierre was ceded to France and the English merchants there had to resettle along Newfoundland's south coast. In summer a coastal boat sails from McCallum to Gaultois and Hermitage every day. Gaultois, pronounced 'gaultus,' is located on a large island in Hermitage Bay. With a population of more than 500, this is one of the larger communities along the coast. Gaultois was first settled by the French and its name is believed to be an old Norman word for pinnacles, of which there are several in the area. The area was also occupied by aboriginal inhabitants perhaps two thousand years ago or more. Like other communities along the coast, Gaultois has had a winter fishery because this section of coast is ice-free year round. There are no roads in the town. Hermitage-Sandyville is located on the east side of a deep fjord called Hermitage Bay, and from here Route 364 connects with other roads on the Connaigre Peninsula and with Route 360 that takes travellers from the south coast north to Newfoundland's central region.