Saysutshun (Newcastle Island Marine) Park

Stay Safe

• Please remember that you are in cougar country, and cougars are known to visit the island from time to time (especially in spring and summer). Park visitors are strongly advised to exercise caution if visiting the park.
  • Information on cougar safety
• For your own safety and the preservation of the park, keep to designated trails and obey posted signs. Shorelines may become unsafe or cut off from the trail during high tides and storms.

Notice to Boaters

• Pull-out of kayaks and vessels for overnight stay is permitted only on the south end of the park, near the ferry dock on the developed beach.
• Mooring buoy and dock facility use fees apply throughout the winter. The maximum length of stay is 14 days per calendar year.
• 43 new mooring buoys have been installed in Mark Bay. There are two types of mooring buoys as follows:
  • those for boats 30 feet length overall or less
  • those for boats 40 feet length overall or less

Note: Mooring Buoy Rings and Chains do not lift up.

• The chains on Newcastle Island mooring buoys are now much larger than often found on past buoys. This increase in size better protects your boat in storms, but does not allow you to pull the chain up due to the its larger size and weight.
• The most efficient method to use when tying to the mooring buoy is from the stern of your vessel. Slip your line through the eye on the mooring buoy, then walk the line to the bow of your vessel and secure it there.
• In addition to the mooring buoys, BC Parks also provides moorage at the park dock. For information on moorage in Nanaimo, contact the park operator.

Special Notes

The trail across the dam is closed for repairs.

Please note: In order to prevent racoons from becoming a nuisance, please follow these important guidelines:

• Ensure your boat is secure to prevent racoons from getting food from your vessel.
• Do not feed raccoons.
• Never take food inside tents.
• Store all food, including toothpaste, in the food lockers.
• Dispose of all garbage immediately.
• Warning – Be aware that raccoons will become aggressive when approached or cornered.
• Remember – Newcastle Island is home for many species of animals and the island provides plenty of natural vegetation for all its inhabitants.

Ferry service schedule to Newcastle Island Marine Park

• See the Park Operator website for fees and other ferry service information.

NCI Ferry Service 
saysutshun@petroglyphdg.com 
Office: 1-866-788-6243 
NCI Manager: 1-866-788-6243 
newcastleisland.ca

History: A brief walk around Newcastle brings you to the site of Saysutshun Village, where recovered native artifacts bear silent witness to the life of a Salish village that was deserted some time before coal was discovered in 1849. For centuries the Salish had occupied this village between the months of September and April, leaving every spring in order to fish for cod and gather clams and tubers on Gabriola Island. Although the Salish were among the island’s first coal miners, they were soon “supplemented” by boatloads of British; these men christened the island after a famous coal town in northern England and diligently worked the mines until 1883. Newcastle Island’s supplies of sandstone lasted longer than did the coal: this attractive building material, used in many constructions along the west coast, was quarried from 1869 until 1932.

Newcastle Island also played a role in the fishing industry of the province. By 1910 the Japanese, who dominated fisheries, had established a small settlement just north of Shaft Point on the west side of the island. Here they operated a saltery and shipyard until 1941 when all the Japanese-Canadians who lived along the coast were sent to internment camps in the Interior.

In 1931, the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company purchased the island and operated it as a pleasure resort, building a dance pavilion (now the visitor centre), teahouse, picnic areas, change-houses, soccer field and a wading pool. An old ship named Charmer (later replaced by the Princess Victoria) was tied to the dock at Mark Bay (Echo 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 caused a decrease in the number of ships available for pleasure excursions and Newcastle Island suffered a consequent decline in popularity.

• Cultural Heritage: Newcastle Island provided a home to the Coast Salish native peoples prior to the discovery of coal in 1849.
• Conservation: The park offers an island shoreline dominated by steep sandstone cliffs and ledges punctuated by beaches and provide a marked contrast to the interior of the island studded with Douglas fir, arbutus, Garry oak and Big Leaf maple trees.

BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.