Dispatches from the sunburned wastelands

Like I mentioned in my previous post , I spent a couple of days last week in Miramichi (pronounced Mee-ra-mi-shee), a town on the east coast of New Brunswick. The town, made up of the recent amalgamation of the village of Chatham and the town of Newcastle, straddles the mouth of the mighty Miracmichi river. The Miramichi, in case you don't know, is world renowned for its wild salmon fishing (talk to any millionaire angler, they'll tell you about their "little" lodge on the Miracmichi), but the town's main industry is pulp and paper. Miramichi is quite out of the way, and you have to drive through the forested heart of the province to get there from the main Trans-Canada, but the drive is worth it. Route 8 from Fredericton snakes its way alongside the banks of this fast-flowing, shallow river, with just a few little villages in between...Here and there you can stop at a fishing lodge, or stay in a little log cabin on the banks of the river.

Every few years the prime angling spots get put on the auction block by the Province, when a little slice of angling heaven can be yours for the next ten years - if you have the money. The lucky few who get such a lease, are also allowed to build a "little" weekend cottage next to the leased waters...I have heard stories about the multi-storied mansions lurking in the deep woods, accessible only by helicopter, and permanently staffed by rottweilers and armed guards...People like George Bush regularly come here to fish. If you're not a millionaire, you can put your name up for the annual salmon angling draw, which is akin to a lotto game - if you're lucky, you might get the privilege of a few days fishing somewhere along the Miracmichi.

Because of the all the forestry operations and pulp industry, I expected Miramichi city to be a rather dismal place, but I was pleasantly surprised. Apart from the inevitable smoke-belching pulp mills, which are situated mostly on the outskirts, both the two old towns are rather pretty, with lots of old historic buildings, set alongside the wide river. In fact, the former village of Chatham, on the south-east side of the Miramichi river, houses the first main street to be declared a national historic property.

Posted by HannesB at 7:37 AM Comments