There are many smaller islands scattered among the big Gulf Islands, including private
islands, British Columbia marine parks, and members of the Gulf Islands National Park
Reserve. With the exception of Thetis Island and Penelakut Island, there is no BC Ferries
service to these islands.
If you would like more information, or a list of buying opportunities on any of the
smaller islands, please contact Li Read.
Islands are listed alphabetically.
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| Cabbage Island : Cabbage Island is located off of Saturna
Island, near Tumbo Island. It is 11 acres in size. Cabbage Island was
purchased in 1977, with the help of the Nature Conservancy of Canada to create a marine park.
Today, it is part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.
There are ten mooring buoys in Reef Harbour. There is a sand beach, and picnic
tables. Reportedly sold for a dollar per acre in 1888. Name reflects that the island
looked like a cabbage to an early explorer. |
Curlew Island : Curlew Island is located right off Mayne
Island. It serves as the natural breakwater for Mayne's Horton Bay.
Named after the HMS Curlew. The captain of the HMS Curlew was
Commander William Horton.
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D'Arcy Island : D'Arcy Island is located just south of Sidney Island. Named
after Lieutenant John D'Arcy, R.N. of The Herald, on her surveying expedition to the Pacific
Ocean, 1852-1854. Mr D'Arcy became a Captain in 1869, and died 1884. Named by Captain Richards
of the H.M.S. Plumper, 1858. D'Arcy Island is part of the Gulf Islands
National Park Reserve.
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Dayman Island : Dayman Island is located beside Thetis
Island and Hudson Island. Named after an officer of the HMS Thetis, under
the command of Augustus Kuper. It is about 24 acres in size, and is a
private island. Dayman has a 2100 sq ft year round main residence and
caretaker's residence on it.
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De Courcy Island : De Courcy is located beside Valdes
Island, and north of Thetis Island.
More Information & history
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Gossip Island : Gossip Island is located beside Galiano
Island, in the open Georgia Strait, just outside the entrance to Active Pass.
More Information and Map
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| Hall Island : Hall Island is located beside Reid Island.
Named after John Hall, a Presbyterian clergyman in Victoria.
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Hudson Island : Hudson Island is located beside Thetis Island,
and Penelakut Island.
More information & map |
James Island : James Island is located beside Sidney Island.
More information & history
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Kuper Island : Please see entry for Penelakut Island.
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| Link Island : Link Island is north of De Courcy Island,
and south of Mudge Island. |
Moresby Island : Moresby Island is just south of Salt Spring.
Named after Rear Admiral Fairfax Moresby R.N., navel commander in chief on the
British Columbia coast between 1850 and 1853. His flag ship was the H.M.S Portland.
Moresby Island has been settled since 1863. It has had several interesting
owners. One was Merchant in China, who returned to Canada, and had a
reputation for mistreating his Chinese servants. Between 1909 and 1914, it was
owned by a Lt. Governor of British Columbia. In 1910, a dairy farm was
established on Moresby Island. Today, it is still a private Island.
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Mudge Island : Mudge lies accross False Narrows from Gabriola
Island. It is near the northern end of Valdes Island.
More information, maps, & history |
| Norway Island : Norway Island is about 30 acres in size,
and is located beside Penelakut Island. Named after Horatio Fillis Norway, R.N.,
master, H.M.S Trincomalee, which was commanded by Captain Wallace Houstoun.
Named Indian Island by Captain Richards in 1859, it was renamed to Norway
Island by Captain John F. Parry of the HMS Egeria in 1905. Norway is a private
island. Photo of Norway Island |
Parker Island : Parker is located beside Galiano Island.
More information, history, & map
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Penelakut Island : Penelakut Island is a First Nations territory.
Penelakut is about 8.66 sq km in size and has a population of about 185.
There is a Catholic Church, but no commercial establishments on the island. Penelakut shares ferry
service with Thetis Island.
Formerly known as Kuper Island. Kuper Island was named after Captain Augustus
Leopold Kuper, Captain of the British HMS Thetis.
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Piers Island : Piers Island is located south of Salt Spring
Island, near Portland Island.
More information & history
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Portland Island : Portland is located south of Salt Spring
Island, and is near Moresby Island.
More information & history |
Prevost Island :
Prevost is located between Southern Salt Spring and Southern Galiano.
More information, history & map
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Pylades Island : Pylades is located beside Valdes Island,
and north of Thetis Island. Pylades is about 134 acres in size. Named after the
HMS Pylades in 1859, which was commanded by Michael De Courcy.
Map of Pylades Island
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Pym Island : Pym is located between Portland Island and the Saanich Peninsula
of Vancouver Island. Named after Lieutenant Frederick Whiteford Pym, Royal Navy. Pym
was a mate on the Artic exploring vessel Assistance under the command of Captain Sir
Edward Belcher. The Assistance accompanied Captain Richards in the polar regions in search
of Sir John Franklin 1852-1854. The Assistance had to be abandoned after being trapped in
ice. The crew returned home on other vessels in 1854. Island named by Captain Richards,
H.M.S Plumper, circa 1858.
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Reid Island : Reid Island is located between Galiano
Island and Valdes Island.
More information & map
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Russell Island : Russell Island is located at mouth of Fulford Harbour,
and is a member of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. There is a dock for visting
boats. Russell Island Photos.
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Ruxton Island : Ruxton is located beside Valdes Island,
and north of Thetis Island. Named after Lieutenant William Fitz Herbert Ruxton of
the H.M.S. Pylades, circa 1860. Ruxton was an Admiral, by the end of his
career.
Map of Ruxton Island
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Samuel Island : Samuel Island is about 328 acres in size, is located
between Mayne Island and Saturna Island. It is separated by a narrow gap,
called Boat Passage, from Saturna Island. Boat Passage is only navigable during
slack water by small boats. It is reported that Boat Passage was a favourite
escape route for rumrunners during US Prohibition.
Named after Surgeon Samuel Campbell of the H.M.S Plumper in 1859. In the
1960's, there was a very short lived plan to join Mayne Island and Saturna
Island with a bridge via Samuel Island. Never happened.
Samuel has had several owners including : a relative of Earl Grey, Governor
General of Canada from 1904 to 1911 ; A.J.T. Taylor, a Vancouver engineer, who
developed the British Properties, and the Lions Gate Bridge ; also once owned
by George Weston, the foodstore magnate ; and once owned by Charles
A. Lindberg's daughter, who reportly paid $48,000 for it circa late 1940's.
Samuel is a private Island.
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Secret Island : Secret is located beside Prevost Island.
Secret was once owned by David Conover, who also owned Wallace Island.
The island has been developed into small lots, with a community water system in
place, and a "community dock". This is mainly a "summer cottage" island, but
there are year-round residents.
Map of Secret Island
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| Secretary Islands : The Secretary Islands are two islands located beside
Galiano Island, close to Porlier Pass area. Named after James Lowther Southey, who was
Secretary to the Commander in Chief Sir R. L. Baynes in 1859. There are properties on
these Islands, which sometimes come on the market, but these are private islands.
Photo of the south Secretary Island |
Sidney Island : Sidney Island is located 3 miles from Sidney, and Victoria
airport.
More information, map & history
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Tent Island : Tent Island, next to Penelakut Island, is also a
First Nations territory. For many years, it was leased by the province of
British Columbia as a marine park. The lease has expired, and the uplands are
now off-limits to tourists. However, it continues to be a popular day trip for
boaters, because it offers a great beach and the warmest swimming waters in
the Southern Gulf Islands.
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Thetis Island : Thetis is located north of Salt Spring Island,
next to Penelakut Island, and can be accessed using BC Ferries.
More information & history |
| Tree Island : Tree Island is about 300m off Pylades, and is
very small. It is diamond shape, and has several trees on it. The current
owner has built a massive breakwater and dock, and has also built a
residence.
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| Tumbo Island : Tumbo Island is located on the eastern side
of Saturna Island, and is about 120+ hectares in size. The name comes from the
tombolo, which is a sand, shingle and driftwood bar that connects the north
and south fingers of the island. In the early 1900's, there was a coal mine on
the island. Tumbo is part of the Nanaimo Basin, a coal bearing geological
region. In 1997, the island became a provincial park. The park features a
fresh water marsh that is home to birds, and river otters. Today, Tumbo Island is
part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.
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Valdes Island : Valdes lies North, across Porlier Pass,
from Galiano Island.
More Information, History, & Map
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Wallace Island : Wallace Island is located next to Galiano
Island.
More information and history. |
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Whaleboat Island : Whaleboat is located off the southeast end of Ruxton Island,
and used to be known as Eagle Island or Indian Island. It is 7 acres in size,
and since 1981 has been an undeveloped marine park.
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Wise Island : Wise Island is next to Parker Island and
Galiano Island.
More Information
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