A beautifully peculiar place

Nearly 450km from Newfoundland’s capital of St John’s, the remote Change Islands sit between Notre Dame Bay and the Labrador Sea and are accessible only by ferry.

In a province full of peculiar town names, like Heart’s Content and Cupids, it makes sense that the origins of Change Islands are also shrouded in folklore. Locals believe that the moniker came about when settlers on nearby Fogo Island decided to resettle on Change Islands – meaning they effectively changed islands. The name is a small but suitable little window into the community’s quirky and beautiful spirit.

While the area is technically made up of three small islands joined by a narrow strait of water (a ‘tickle’, in Newfoundland English), the 300-strong community mostly occupies the south and middle islands.