The Killick Coast

A Killick is a homemade anchor, constructed by incasing a large rock between pieces of wood
which have been bent, shaped, and bound together to hold the rock in place.

The Killick is an appropriate symbol for these towns that stretch from Portugal Cove - St. Phillips to Logy Bay at the tip of the Northern part of the Avalon Peninsula just outside St. John’s. The people of these fishing and farming communities have held to their rural roots and rural way of life in spite of being so close to the city. They retain as much as possible of their community based lifestyles, while taking advantage of the fact that they are just a few minutes from the provincial capital city of St. John’s.

Newfoundland writer Ted Russell, who was born in Coley’s Point on the Northern Avalon describes the importance of these roots to rural people in his radio play, The Holdin’ Ground

"...lookin' out at where Skipper Joe Irwin's schooner is ridin' at her moorin'. And lookin' at her, I've noticed how she's always on the move. Swingin' this way and that with the tide and the baffles of offshore wind from the hills...Always and forever on the move. A stranger not knowin' the difference'd think she was adrift. That is, if he didn't know about her chain and her anchor--and her holdin' ground.

And the thought struck me how much that schooner is like us people along this part of the Newfoundland coast. And most likely, like people everywhere. Oh, we have our little baffles of wind and tide, differences of opinion on a good many things,
that swing us in different ways. A stranger might think we were gone adrift. That is, until he knew about our moorin's and our holdin' ground.”

Lighthouse
Cape St. Francis

Islands
Bell Island

Communities
with Photos
NOTE: The website is being redesigned, so there will be new links added each week until all towns have been added. Please check back frequently.

Bauline

Flatrock

Logy Bay - Middle Cove - Outer Cove

Portugal Cove - St. Phillips

Pouch Cove

Torbay

Wabana