Day 7: back to Victoriaaa!

July 7, 2011

We take an early ferry back to Vancouver. Then we take skytrain to the YVR Airport, and back to Victoria.



But.............it is not the end of our trip! :)
We are going to travel in Victoria!
There are lots of places in Victoria we have neven been to, so....we decide to have fun here for 1 more day!:)

Victoria Climate Graph

Victoria has higher percipiation and lower temperature during November - Feburary, lower percipitation and higher temperature during April - September.

Latitude: 48.433333
Longitude: -123.35
population: 79,000
min industry: mining

The first settlers to the Victorian region were Lieutenant David Collins and a group of officers, convicts and free settlers who, in 1803, first landed where Sorrento now stands. The colony was not a success, and within a few months Collins had transferred the entire settlement across Bass Strait to Van Diemen's Land, and established Hobart on the Derwent River. (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/In_what_year_was_Victoria_founded )

flag of Victoria

Goldstream Provincial Park, Victoria BC

 

Location Located 16 km northwest of Victoria on southern Vancouver Island on the Trans Canada Hwy (Hwy #1). Access to the campground is via Sooke Lake Road from Hwy 1 at the southern boundary of the park. The entrance to the day-use area is near the junction of Hwy 1 and Finlayson Arm Road.
Size
388 hectares
History
The area of the park was given to the people of British Columbia by the Greater Victoria Water Board in 1958. Additional lands were designated in 1994 and 1996 through the Commonwealth Nature Legacy and Crown Land additions.
Conservation
The flora and fauna diversity within the area makes Goldstream Provincial Park a marvel of nature. With two distinct vegetation zones, the park offers views of 600-year-old Douglas-fir and western red cedar as well the arbutus tree, found exclusively on Vancouver Island and the southwest coast of BC. Goldstream River, site of an annual Chum salmon spawning run, also adds to the park’s natural values. Flowers, trees and shrubs are part of the park's natural heritage, please don't damage or remove them.
Wildlife
From late October through December of each year, the Goldstream River is the scene of one of nature's spectacles as chum, coho and chinook salmon enter the river via Finlayson Arm from the Pacific Ocean. Three to four years previously, these same salmon were born here before traveling to the sea to grow and mature. Their return to spawn and die in their ancestral spawning beds is fascinating and the Freeman King Visitor Centre features special programs to help visitors appreciate this miraculous event. The Goldstream River estuary is closed to the public (including all boaters). This closure has resulted in a resurgence of wildlife using the estuary throughout the year. Due to the closure, once rarely seen bald eagles now abound during the salmon run and nest during the summer. Park users should always be aware of bears and other wildlife in our park environment. Never feed or approach bears or other wildlife.
Cultural Heritage
Goldstream is located on traditional fishing grounds of local First Nations. Old mining shafts and tunnels are all that remains of the gold rush that Goldstream River experienced during the mid-19th century.
(http://www.goldstreampark.com/park.htm)