Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ogden Point
Named for a Hudson's Bay Company trader, Ogden Point has been an important port
facility since the early 1900s when a grain-handling terminal was built on a manmade
pier. Today it's home to a major Canadian Coast Guard Base and
Cruise Ogden Point,
which serves over 200 cruise ships and 500,000 passengers each summer season. Protect-
ing the cruise ship terminal from ocean swells is
Ogden Point Breakwater,
which is only
3 meters (10 feet) wide, but it extends for 800 meters (0.5 mile) into Juan de Fuca Strait.
This is a super-popular stroll, especially in the early morning.
At the foot of the breakwater
Ogden Point Café
(199 Dallas Rd., 250/386-8080,
8am-10pmdailyinsummer,8am-8pmdailytherestoftheyear)haslotsofoutdoorseating
and a wide selection of hot drinks and filling lunches.
Ogden Point toward Oak Bay
Forthefirstfewkilometersbeyondthebreakwater,theOlympicMountainsinWashington
State are clearly visible across Juan de Fuca Strait, and a string of roadside lookouts allow
you to stop and take in the panorama, including
Finlayson Point,
which is in Beacon Hill
Park, and
Clover Point,
which has a much larger parking area. East beyond Clover Point,
Ross Bay Cemetery
is the final resting place of many of early Victoria's most prominent
residents. Volunteer hosts are on hand through summer to point out the graves of Emily
Carr; British Columbia's first governor, Sir James Douglas; members of the coal-baron
Dunsmuir family; and Billy Barker, of gold rush fame. The gates are open weekdays dur-
ing daylight hours.
Continuing east, Dallas Road takes you through quiet residential areas, past small
pebblebeachescoveredindriftwood,andintotheritzymansiondistricteastofdowntown,
wheretheresidentshavegrandhouses,manicuredgardens,andstunningwaterviews.One
plot of land that has escaped development is the
Chinese Cemetery
on Harling Point.
Developed in 1903 on a rocky headland overlooking the water, it is the resting place of
at least 400 Chinese settlers. It is on the east side of Gonzales Bay at the end of Crescent
Road.
