Fundy Tidal Interpretive Centre

Tidal Interpretive Centre & Observation Deck

Centre Open: May 15 - October 15, 2009

Monday to Sunday 9:00am to 5:00pm

 

The Centre - Drop by the Centre to learn about the famous Bay of Fundy Tides.  Staff and self-interpretive panels will help you learn about the natural wonder of the 'reversing river', the Tidal Bore.  Comprehensive displays explain the rich shipbuilding heritage of the area, and the important role played by the Bay and the Shubenacadie River.  Then stroll out to the Observation Deck for a breathtaking view of the river and it's striking red clay cliffs.  Time your visit for the turn of the tide and you can watch the incoming salt water rush up the river right below your  feet!

The Tidal Gift Shop & Visitor Information - Also in the Interpretive Centre, you'll find a small gift shop, offering unique items by maritime and local artists & craftsmen, as well as a visitor information centre with maps, brochures and plenty of information on nearby attractions & businesses; browse our own extensive Directory listings to help plan your trip along the Fundy Shore! 

We are also a geocaching site, with two caches for you to find.  Learn more about geocaching at www.geocaching.com

 

The Deck

Follow the road behind the Centre and you'll come to the Observation Deck, built right out over the site of original bridge trestles at the riverside.  Here is the best viewing in the area for the amazing Tidal Bore (see Tide Info), a panoramic view of the river, the red cliffs, and the historic Gosse Bridge. 

Ducks Unlimited Pond

Wetland & Wildlife Conservation in Nova Scotia

excerpted from Ducks Unlimited Canada web site - Nova Scotia page

"Nova Scotia’s wetlands provide habitat for hundreds of species of waterfowl and many other wildlife species. These species use wetlands for food, water, breeding and nesting grounds, resting areas and shelters. Beyond providing vital habitat, wetlands also provide numerous other benefits such as acting as a water filter, reducing flooding and providing a great place for recreational activities like hiking, canoeing and wildlife watching.

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is working with government, industry, private landowners and other conservation organizations to ensure wetland habitats remain a part of Nova Scotia’s landscape, ensuring a healthy future for waterfowl, wildlife and a fresh clean water supply for people."

Ducks Unlimited maintains two ponds in the Maitland Heritage Conservation District, one behind Lawrence House Museum in Maitland, and one near the Fundy Tidal Interpretive Centre in South Maitland.  Easy walking trails and interpretive boards provide visitors with a pleasant and informative self-guided nature experience.  Visit Ducks Unlimited Canada to learn more about Nova Scotia DUC ponds...

South Maitland Village Park & Caboose Museum

Once known as Five Mile River and Rockville, this area was at one time a favourite camping ground of the Mi'kmaq.  During the heyday of the area's shipbuilding boom, many fine wooden ships were built here, and local traffic was brisk.  Today South Maitland offers a Village Heritage park where you can enjoy a visit to the Railroad Museum in a real caboose!.  Drop in for lunch in our picnic area and a leisurely stroll along the riverside Nature Trail.  (Shubenacadie in the Mi'kmaq tongue means Indian Potato Field or abounding in groundnuts, an edible root.)

Nature Trail

Stroll the path to various waterside look offs and learn about the local bird life from the Ducks Unlimited Interpretive Boards.  Parking, picnic tables and outdoor toilet facilities, all close to a general store and the Interpretive Centre in the adjoining Fundy Tidal Interpretive Park.

Interpretive boards

Tides:

Quick Facts on our world famous tides...

• Tides can reach heights of over 50 feet, or the height of a five-storey building. 

• Iron particles, slowing eroding from the shoreline, become suspended in the water and produce the striking red mud of the Minas Basin and Cobequid Bay.

• High Tides occur every 12 hours and 25 minutes, advancing about one hour later each day. 

• Believe it or not, the flow of water between Parrsboro and Cape Split at mid tide is equal to all the rivers and streams on Earth! 

• Nova Scotia actually bends when the tide comes in, depressed under the weight of 14 billion tons of seawater.

• Care must be taken when beach combing, fossil or rock hunting, or even just strolling on the shore at low tide; the incoming water can move with the speed of a running horse and quickly overtake stragglers!

Tide times

Click for Tide Tables for South Maitland (MS Word format).
 

Gosse Bridge

2008 marks the 30th Anniversary of this striking bridge over the muddy Shubenacadie River.  The unique structure was the world's first cantilever bridge, constructed of two pieces of concrete meeting in the middle and balanced by their own weight at each end.

A fascinating newspaper article on construction and the tragedy associated with the bridge is posted in the Centre for extra information...

 

How to get here...