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Powell River, BC Canada The Pearl on the Sunshine Coast

Savary Island

Think you can live on an island?

 

The sandy shoreline of Savary Island stretches 8 km north at the top end of the Georgia Strait. A recreational retreat for many, it is the permanent home for a handful of homeowners who enjoy the off-season quiet and isolation.

 

 

The Lund Water Taxi provides a 15 minute crossing from mainland Lund to the Savary Island dock and from there residents and visitors walk, cycle, drive or use the services of the local taxi service to get to their destinations. There are restaurants and B&Bs on the island, but this is not the place to look for a medical centre.

 

Recreation is at your doorstep. South Beach is across the width of the island from the dock, just over half a km away, and swimming is excellent. It’s a steep path down the cliff to the ocean, but worth the energy. Of course, what goes down has to come back up again…

Savary Island is a protected area. The sand dunes, cliffs and flora around the island have been recognized as sensitive ecosystems. Care should be taken when on the island to respect nature, and it is possible to donate areas of land to the Savary Island Land Trust using a Conservation Covenant.

Homes are either on the waterfront with fabulous expansive views of the Vancouver Island or Mainland shorelines, or within the trees mid-island. Many years ago restrictions were placed on how many trees could be logged from each property, leading to much greenery and shade, and homes hidden along driveways from the sandy roads circling the island.

When building on the island, each property requires well water and a septic tank and field. Care should be taken to ensure that any building lot has sufficient space for these two items. Lots are narrow and long and a well and septic field must be at least 100 ft away from each other. This might work on one lot, but consideration must be given to where the neighbours on each side have their facilities. The ultimate would be to join two or three lots together, which would cut down on the amount of development on the island and ensure easy planning for water and septic.

All building materials will need to be brought in by barge, and provisions, such as food, toiletries, etc., brought in from the mainland. The island is under the jurisdiction of the Powell River Regional District electoral area A.

Lund, at the top of Highway 101, is the closest community and the access point to the island. Lund offers restaurants, pub, hotel, bakery, general store, camping and lodging. The Lund Harbour allows for moorage of sailboats and access for float planes. There’s a helicopter landing pad at the Lund Hotel.

A 30 minute drive south along the highway brings you to Powell River, the main commercial area on the upper sunshine coast. There’s a regional hospital, recreation centre, seniors housing, shops such as Safeway, Overwaitea, Wal-Mart, Staples, Canadian Tire, various building centres, and many smaller shops either within the malls or down on Marine Avenue. The ferry from Little River (Comox) on Vancouver Island comes into downtown Powell River. The same dock provides service out to Texada Island, too. At the southern tip of the peninsula is Saltery Bay ferry terminal providing access to the lower sunshine coast and Vancouver area.

Savary Island is idyllic. It’s moderate climate, sandy perimeter, accessibility from Lund, and comfortable community will keep you coming back.

 

So, yes, you can live on an island.