For an experience rich in history, culture and entertainment, do what people have been doing since the 1930s—hop on a boat to Saysutshun (Newcastle Island Marine) Provincial Park, one of the most intriguing parks in B.C. Bring your own boat or take the passenger ferry from Nanaimo—a 10 minute ride that deposits passengers on Newcastle Island, located just a few hundred metres offshore from Vancouver Island. From a distance you’ll see an island shoreline dominated by steep sandstone cliffs and ledges, interspersed with sunny beaches – a marked contrast to the interior of the island, which is studded with mature Douglas fir, Garry oak, arbutus and Big Leaf maple trees.

Visitors to Newcastle Island can choose from an extensive network of walking/hiking trails that lead to various historic points around the island. Indigenous middens offer mute evidence of at least two Salish villages, which were deserted before the discovery of coal in this area in 1849. Subsequent decades saw the island’s fortunes rise and fall as it went through various incarnations while supporting a fish-salting operation, a sandstone quarry and a shipyard.

In 1931 the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company purchased the island and operated it as a pleasure resort, building a dance pavilion – now the visitor center – a teahouse, picnic areas, change houses, a soccer field and a wading pool. An old ship was tied to the dock at Mark Bay and served as a floating hotel. The island became very popular for company picnics and Sunday outings, with ships from Vancouver bringing as many as 1,500 people at a time. The advent of the Second World War, however, caused a decrease in the number of ships available for pleasure excursions and Newcastle Island suffered a consequent decline in popularity.

Today, park services and facilities include walk-in campsites complete with flush toilets and showers, as well as facilities for group camping and picnicking. The Pavilion can also be rented for dances, corporate picnics and wedding receptions.

Date Established: October 17, 1961
Provincial Park Size: 363 hectares (334 ha upland and 29 ha foreshore)