Qualicum Beach is a retirement town of about 8,500 people slightly north of Parksville on Vancouver Island. The town is located on the Strait of George on Vancouver Island’s eastern coast and is a popular tourist destination, especially in the summer when visitors from Victoria and Vancouver flock to the community’s rental cottages along its coast.
The seaside town’s history dates back to 1856 when it was discovered by Adam Grant Horne, an explorer for the Hudson’s Bay Company. The town developed after a road was built in 1886 connecting Parksville to Qualicum. Golf courses and hotels were built in the early 1900s, turning the town into a recreational destination.[1]
Today, Qualicum Beach remains a popular golfing and retirement community.[2] But it is also an attractive location for swimming, angling, and sunbathing. Decent accommodations and facilities support visitors’ needs. Alternatively, Denman and Hornby Islands also offer quiet beaches; both are small communities that are reachable by ferry.[3]
How to Get There
Qualicum Beach can be reached by taking Highway 19A, which runs along the shore line of the Strait of Georgia. KD Air also offers daily service to Vancouver and other locations on Vancouver Island and the lower mainland from the Qualicum Beach Airport. The E&N Railway offers passenger service every day, departing to and from Victoria and Courtenay. The town also has a launching area for boats.[4]
References:
Carroll, Donald. Insider’s Guide Canada. Edison: Hunter Publishing, Inc, 1996. ISBN: 1556507100.
“Qualicum Beach.” < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualicum_beach>
[1] Qualicum Beach
[2] Id.
[3] Carroll, 79
[4] Qualicum Beach
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