Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Bastion
Parks
Newcastle Island Provincial Marine Park
is a magnificent chunk of wilderness separ-
ated from downtown Nanaimo by a narrow channel. It's mostly forested, ringed by sand-
stone cliffs and a few short stretches of pebbly beach. Wildlife inhabitants include deer,
raccoons, beavers, and more than 50 species of birds.
When Europeans arrived and began mining coal, they displaced natives who had lived
on the island for centuries. Coal was mined until 1883, and sandstone (featured on many
ofNanaimo'shistoricalbuildings)wasquarriedhereuntil1932.Thepavilionandfacilities
