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The capital of NewfoundlandAug 21, 2006
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We spent three days exploring St John's the capital of Newfoundland.
St John’s is the capital of Newfoundland and is located on the eastern Avalon Peninsula. For centuries life in St John’s has focused on its harbour, a dramatic jaw-shaped inlet approached through the 200 metre wide channel of The Narrows. In its hay day the port was packed with sailing ships from a score of nations and was during World War II the starting point for convoys across the Atlantic ocean.
Our first day saw us exploring the downtown and harbour area of St John's.
On our second day despite the weather we explored Signal Hill.Signal Hill has long been used for defence, observation and communication. Here signalmen surveyed the ocean for ships headed into St John’s Harbour, years before the advent of ship-to shore radio. From signal masts high atop the Hill, flags conveyed information on approaching vessels to military and mercantile interests in St John’s. With its strategic location, Signal Hill became the site of harbour defenses from the 18th century through to World War II.
While we were at Signal Hill we visited the Johnson Geo Centre which explains how the island of Newfoundland and its wide ranging geological features came into to being. The Museum had been built into the rock which added to its efectiveness as a museum. The Centre also had two other exhibits – The Titanic Story and Oil & Gas Gallery.
On our final day in St John's the weather continued to be bad so we headed to the Railway Coastal Museum.The Railway Coastal Museum tells the story of the building and operation of the Newfoundland Railway and Coastal Services.
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