Greater Victoria Waterfront Homes

You know, looking at Google maps, it really is amazing how many waterfront homes we have around here.  And they are on streets where driving down them you might not know the homes are backing onto some type of waterway.

Anybody care to make a guess how many we have?  And I guess we'd call waterfront any home that has direct access to the water, ie. you can walk from the back/front door to the water's edge without crossing another persons property.  I suppose some homes are also abutting a public beach, or some type of crown land, we can count those too, as long as they are not, for example, across a road from the water's edge.

Ocean and lakes included... rivers?  Like Colquitz Creek.

http://goo.gl/maps/yjDmr

This is Caton Place, off Helmcken, just north of View Royal School.

West side of Prospect Lake.   http://goo.gl/maps/6xnue

Lake.

Along the Gorge Waterway alone there must be several hundred, plus there are apartment buildings that are waterfront. Like this one which most people have probably never seen.

Bring your boat right up to your condo building... http://goo.gl/maps/r97Qs

Some nice homes here, and you might have never driven down into this neighbourhood.

http://goo.gl/maps/qrRB6

Bring your boat right up to your condo building... http://goo.gl/maps/r97Qs

Is all that white stuff on the roof seagull crap?  I hope their make-up air fans aren't on the roof, that would stink.

And don't forget these properties in Esquimalt. There are some beautiful homes on military land.

When first moving here in 2010, my wife and I checked out a place at the Christie Point apartments, at the end of Craigowan road in View Royal. It's the big peninsula jutting right into Portage Inlet. The buildings looked like somewhat aged '70s era construction, and we weren't crazy about the neighborhood. But the location is surely one of the finest bits of real estate in View Royal, and one of the more interesting pieces of waterfront in the whole region. 

http://goo.gl/maps/tjP1H

I don't know what the controls are in View Royal on rental accommodation, but surely a lot of coin could be made by replacing the rentals with townhouses or SFH's.

When first moving here in 2010, my wife and I checked out a place at the Christie Point apartments, at the end of Craigowan road in View Royal. It's the big peninsula jutting right into Portage Inlet. The buildings looked like somewhat aged '70s era construction, and we weren't crazy about the neighborhood. But the location is surely one of the finest bits of real estate in View Royal, and one of the more interesting pieces of waterfront in the whole region. 

 

http://goo.gl/maps/tjP1H

 

I don't know what the controls are in View Royal on rental accommodation, but surely a lot of coin could be made by replacing the rentals with townhouses or SFH's.

I've thought the same for many, many years.

Those Colquitz homes in View Royal are probably the best value in waterfront. It's interesting to think if they rezoned them for mixed use low rise and created an urban canal neighbourhood--sort of a cross between Dockside Green and Amsterdam/Copenhagen:

http://www.pommietra...-of-copenhagen/

Edited by Holden West, 18 November 2013 - 10:03 PM.

Those Colquitz homes in View Royal are probably the best value in waterfront. It's interesting to think if they rezoned them for mixed use low rise and created an urban canal neighbourhood--sort of a cross between Dockside Green and Amsterdam/Copenhagen:

 

 

http://www.pommietra...-of-copenhagen/

Ha HA, HAD TO DOUBLE-TAKE AT THAT PHOTO...

One of the problems with the upper-Gorge, or maybe the biggest problem is the reversing falls under the Tillicum bridge.  You can't take almost any boat through that except under exceptional high-tide circumstances.  I don't know why we don't we don't blow that thing out, or build the channel to portage to the other end into Esq. harbour.

^I know it's controversial to muck about with the natural habitat but if we really went hog wild with some major engineering we would end up with the Venice of North America. I realize there are at least half a dozen places calling themselves that but ours would be best.

^I know it's controversial to muck about with the natural habitat but if we really went hog wild with some major engineering we would end up with the Venice of North America. I realize there are at least half a dozen places calling themselves that but ours would be best.

I'm not an oceanographer (yet I once played one on TV), but I'm also not sure if blowing it out will mess with it that much.  I suppose it (might) let more water back and forth, or maybe no.  Maybe the same amount goes each tide change, just the rate changes.

I agree Holden, that would make the Gorge awesome.

^I know it's controversial to muck about with the natural habitat but if we really went hog wild with some major engineering we would end up with the Venice of North America. I realize there are at least half a dozen places calling themselves that but ours would be best.

There used to be more of a reversing falls under the Gorge bridge but they blasted the rock out sometime in the 70's. It was more of an attraction for boaters in those days and I think they should put the falls back.

There used to be more of a reversing falls under the Gorge bridge but they blasted the rock out sometime in the 70's. It was more of an attraction for boaters in those days and I think they should put the falls back.

You want less boats to be able to get through?

Yeah it already has been made easier for boats. I think Holden's idea would be awesome.

 

we would end up with the Venice of North America...

The good people of Venice, CA are none too pleased right about now.

Yeah it already has been made easier for boats. I think Holden's idea would be awesome.

Hmm, I gotta admit I'm a bit of a novice boater.  Once in the 80's though, we tried to canoe it, and could not, we had to portage around.  does anyone know what kind of clearance it has, and for how many hours each day?  Maybe it's not as bad as I thought.

http://wikimapia.org...nal-of-Camosack

Tillicum Narrows known as the Canal of Camosack back in the 1800’s is located on the Gorge in Victoria is the site of the only reversing rapids in western Canada. Reversing rapids are caused by the narrow 45 foot wide pinch point at Tillicum Narrows where a large amount of water is forced through the narrow passage. Currents have been known to reach up to 9 knots (17km/h). The tides caused by the moon make massive amounts of water move up and down the gorge and this unique feature makes for white water rapids, waterfalls or a surging channel depending on the water height. A bridge naturally was built here due to the narrows.

This site has been popular for thousands of years to the Songhees first nations people. The narrows are an ancient food harvest area for the Songhees where they would hunt for herring, coho salmon, oysters and ducks. A 4,100 year old midden composed of shells, fish bones, charcoal and scorched rocks can be found under the south end of the Tillicum Bridge. The Songhees have quite a history here. Following the legendary flood so common in many culture’s histories, everything was destroyed and mass starvation was abundant. The legend tells that a little girl named Camossung (Camosun) was transformed into a large boulder by a spirit named Haylas The Transformer and was placed in the bottom of the narrows because she was a picky eater with the food gifts Haylas offered her even though she and her people were starving. Her grandfather too was also transformed into a boulder for not scolding her for the spirit’s charitable gifts.

The reversing rapids used to be more impressive. There used to be a large rock (Camossung) in the narrows which caused water to well up and cause powerful whirlpools and currents. People would jump off the bridge as a recreational activity and too many times the currents would suck people down and drown them. Alcohol was often a factor. My incidents occurred as well from cocky boaters thinking they could ride the rapids. Many were overturned with many not being swimmers and none wearing life jackets. There were incidents of boaters being drawn under at the foot of the falls by the roiling waters. 

Many proposals were put forward following the large number of deaths ranging from a metal grate which could be lowered at powerful tides to a lock system to a gong to call for help. Eventually a wooden walkway was built to portage small boats along with life preservers along the railing in case of emergency. Lighting was also added under the bridge as most upsets occurred during the night.

In June 1960, the narrows were changed forever. Robert Southwell in a do-it-yourself job, dynamited Camossung which had plagued his gorge based boathouse for years. Although it took two attempts due to the currents, the result permanently diminished the falls and made the narrows more navigable for pleasure boats. There was mass public outcry from this private action as there were concerns of diminished water levels, increased erosion, destruction of the unique feature and apparently a cracked toilet. The Songhees were also angered as the rock was sacred and believed to have powers and spiritual guidance given to anyone who dove down and clung to it.

 

No doubt the Gorge waterfront will become more valuable as the decades go by and the residential development along the shore will increasingly reflect the fact, but methinks the Gorge is too wide and the adjacent neighbourhoods are too suburban for it to really be something outstanding re: another North American Venice. The current scene resembles typical Canadian lakefront property more than anything.

Edited by aastra, 19 November 2013 - 11:20 AM.

You want less boats to be able to get through?

Boats have always been able to get through if you went with the current. It was just more of a novelty if you were in a canoe you might have to wait for the tide to change, or shoot the rapids going with it. But don't mind me reminiscing, it won't happen.

Edited by Bingo, 19 November 2013 - 02:41 PM.