New Brunswick - Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island - page 275

lieutenant governor of the province. Rooms are a tad frilly but provide a cozy place to
rest your head.
Cunard CHINESE $$$
( www.cunardrestaurant.com ; 32 Cunard St, Chatham; mains $11-23; noon-10pm) Surprisingly
decent Canadianized Chinese food, such as chicken chow mein and honey-garlic
spareribs, in a classic, lacquer-and-dragon-print dining room.
Information
Tourist Information Center ( www.discover-miramichi.com ; 199 King St; 10am-5pm Jun-Sep)
The tourist information center is downtown at Ritchie's Wharf, a down-at-heel riverfront
boardwalk park.
Getting There & Away
Maritime ( 1-800-575-1807; www.maritimebus.com ; 201 Edward St) buses depart from the
Best Value Inn. Daily buses leave for Fredericton ($54, 2½ hours), Saint John ($49, five
hours) and Campbellton ($44, three hours).
The VIA Rail station ( www.viarail.ca ; 251 Station St at George St) is in Newcastle. Trains
from Montréal and Halifax stop here.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Miramichi River Valley
The Miramichi is actually a complex web of rivers and tributaries draining much of cent-
ral New Brunswick. The main branch, the 217km-long Southwest Miramichi River,
flows from near Hartland through forest to Miramichi where it meets the other main fork,
the Northwest Miramichi. For over a hundred years, the entire system has inspired rever-
ent awe for its tranquil beauty and incredible Atlantic salmon fly-fishing. Famous busi-
ness tycoons, international politicians, sports and entertainment stars and Prince Charles
have all wet lines here. Even Marilyn Monroe is said to have dipped her toes in the wa-
ter. The legendary fishery has had some ups and downs with overfishing, poaching and
unknown causes (perhaps global warming) affecting stocks, but they now seem back at
sustainable levels.