E is for Egmont

ABC Wednesday
August 12th, 2015

The letter is E for Egmont

Egmont is a tiny waterfront village settled in Secret Bay under the shadow of Mount Churchill and near to the northern B.C. Ferry Terminal at Earls Cove, British Columbia's Sunshine Coast.

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It centres around two modern marinas set up for overnight moorage, and caters to a transient marine industry of visiting yachts, sailboats and floatplanes.  It is the gateway to Skookumchuk Narrows Provincial Park (Skookum is a Chinook word for strong, and chuk means water).

The Skookumchuk rapids surge through the narrows during a ten foot tide change twice a day, causing 200 billion gallons of water to explode upwards into standing waves, and to be sucked into bottomless whirlpools - an extreme destination for experienced kayakers.  As tidal waters are forced through the narrow shallow channel between Jervis and Sechelt Inlets the difference in water levels can exceed two metres, causing currents of more than 30 km per hour.

Egmont is named after the HMS Egmont which was helmed by Rear Adminral Sir John Jervis at the battle of St. Vincent in the 1700s.

If I still had a 'bucket' list I would surely place Egmont, and the adjoining Princess Louisa Inlet right near the top, as they say there is nothing like wandering through the countryside to give you a feel for old-time Sunshine Coast living, with its lack of car traffic, slow pace, friendly people and a sense of a place out of time.

I will leave the kayaking to the adventuresome!


The small community has few shops and services, but it is rich in scenic splendour.  Artists, B&B's and cottages, a post office, a general store, a pub, the two marinas and a government dock - and a new museum.

It is a tourist village and many, including divers and fishermen, are attracted to the abundant wildlife and waterfalls in the surrounding inlets.  It is possible to board a charter boat or a float plane to see the magnificent granite walled Princess Louisa Inlet......

or to visit Chatterbox or Fiel Falls, which tumbles down to the beach from Lake Fiel high above.

                      Chatterbox Falls

or to hike the trails in the coastal forest

Indian Pictographs

Just a mile past the turnoff to Egmont is Earls Cove which sits on Jervis Inlet at the end of the line on the lower Sunshine Coast and is the location of the BC Ferries terminal for sailings to Saltery Bay on the upper Sunshine Coast.  The spectacular scenery on this trip

has hardly changed from the days when Captain George Vancouver sailed Jervis Inlet and Agamemnon Channel in June of 1792.

How to get there - in case your bucket has room to add this wonderful experience

to your list......

For many other interesting E's visit here at ABC Wednesday

with thanks to Roger, Denise and their ever-loving helpers