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Harbour Breton - the capital of Newfoundland's south coast, is located on the south coast of Newfoundland. Take the Bay D'Espoir Highway, Route 360, south for 200 kilometers. As you get closer to the coast, the highway takes you over some very high country and then snakes along the tops of fiords offering a scenic, panoramic view of Connaigre Bay. Harbour Breton has a magnificent land-locked harbour and is one of the oldest and largest fishing centres on the south coast of Newfoundland. This land-locked and ice-free harbour is located near the southern tip of the Connaigre Peninsula on the north side of Fortune Bay.
The early history of the old "Capital of Fortune Bay" goes back to the Bretons (from Brittany, France) based at Placentia who fished from Hr. Breton in the 17th. Century. The 1687 French map of Newfoundland shows Harbour Breton as Havre Bertrand and at that time 36 fishing servants were stationed in the harbour. In 1693, one fisherman, Pierre Germy was a resident of Havre Bertrand. After the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, the English dominance in Fortune Bay shows Havre Bertrand as Harbour Briton.
Harbour Breton was designated as a "growth centre" in 1965 and the government encouraged people living in isolated communities to relocate to the town in order to receive better public services and opportunities for employment. From 1965 to 1971, a total of 700 people had moved to Hr. Breton. Its 1971 population was 2600 people. People had moved from such communities as Jersey Harbour, Sagona Island, Miller's Passage, Little Bay West, Great Harbour, Red Cove, Pass Island, Grole, Stone Valley, Muddy Hole, Pushthrough, Piccaire, Round Harbour, Broad Cove, and Brunette Island to take up a new life in Harbour Breton.
The local Tourism Committee are actively involved in uncovering the history of the town dating back to the 1600's. Stories about relationships gone bad, tragedy at sea and an early English business known as Newman and Company are being brought back to life.
Visit Sunny Cottage Heritage Centre which represents a Queen Anne style home built in the early 1900's for a local merchant, Mr. John J. Rose, and have adopted a theme for each room of the house from the Servant's Quarters to the Widow's Walk. The Tradition by the Sea festival is a celebration of the heritage of the town, it's historical dependency on the sea and it's people who have endured many hardships over the years to make Harbour Breton the town it is today. Also visit such natural attractions as Gun Hill and Deadman's Cove.
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