The gravels are now more than just a strip of road connecting the Port au Port Peninsula to the rest of Newfoundland. Thanks to the Gravels Committee, the area has a new rest stop and walking trail.
A project for the construction of a number of rest stops on the Port au Port Peninsula was started a number of years ago by the Association Régionale de la Cote-Ouest (ARCO).
Not long after, the Gravels Committee was formed in order to develop the gravels as a tourist attraction. The two groups came together when the committee asked if they would consider including the gravels as a site for one of their rest stops.
Danny McCann is the chairperson of the Gravels Development Committee and he says that it is thanks to $22,000 in provincial funding that the rest stop and walking trail were possible.
"Right now the trail that is adjoined with the rest stop will take you as far as Our Lady of Mercy Church but we hope to bring the trail out to Bellmans Cove (Butler's Cove) in the next three or four years," says Mr. McCann.
This would mean a 5-6 km trail along the scenic Port au Port Bay with various stops and look out points along the way.
The committee also has plans to place memorials along the walking trail in memory of a number of tragedies which took place along the coast. These will be pending approval from the families of the victims.
At the grand opening of the trail, Mr. McCann had a long list of thank you's for ARCO, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Human Resources Development Canada, MHA Gerald Smith, and donations and contributions from local businesses.
It's also thanks to the contributions of local fisherman Mike Butler, a fisher in the area for 60 years, who donated his dory and a number of lobster traps for display at the rest stop and walking trail.
Local fishermen have additionally donated two buildings which remain on the site. Mr. McCann says the committee has plans to restore the buildings to resemble a fishing shack for tourists to visit.
The new rest stop offers tourists information about the Port au Port Peninsula.
The rock formations give you the strangest craving for ice cream?
Contributions from local fisherman Mike Butler have added to the authenticity of the trail with a dory and lobster traps.
A magnified viewer and more information about the gravels is also available at the rest stop. Did you know there was an earthquake near the gravels in the early 1900s?
