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DARTMOUTH |
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Humdrum DARTMOUTH , across the harbour from Halifax, is often
ignored by visitors as it lacks the more obvious appeal of its neighbour.
Nevertheless, it is the province's second largest town, with 70,000
inhabitants, and although it's primarily an industrial centre the ferry
ride over provides wide views of the harbour and downtown Halifax - and
there are a couple of minor attractions to further justify a sortie. The
Dartmouth ferry leaves the Halifax waterfront from beside the Historic
Properties at the foot of George Street (Mon-Sat 6.45am-11.30pm; every
15-30min, plus June-Sept Sun noon-5.30pm; $1.65). The journey takes
about ten minutes. The twin cities are also connected by two road
bridges: the MacDonald, running just to the north of both city centres,
and the Mackay, part of the outer ring road. Metro Transit bus #1 uses
the MacDonald.
Turn left outside Dartmouth ferry terminal and then take the first right
for the five-minute stroll to the Quaker House , 57 Ochterloney St (June-Aug
only; call for hours tel 464-2253; free), a small, grey-clapboard
residence sitting three blocks up the hill from the dock. After the
American War of Independence, several Quaker whaling families emigrated
from Nantucket Island, off Cape Cod, to Dartmouth, but this is the only
one of their houses to survive. The interior has been painstakingly
restored to its late eighteenth-century appearance, its spartan fittings
reflecting Quaker values. Among the exhibits are a two-hundred-year-old
pair of shoes found under the floorboards during renovations in 1991,
and the eye of a Greenland whale preserved in formalin - though the
staff won't show you this if they think you're squeamish. From here,
it's another five-minute walk along - and left at the end of - King
Street to a very short stretch of the Shubenacadie Canal , which once
connected the Bay of Fundy to Dartmouth, a distance of 90km. Begun in
1826, this monumental feat of engineering, linking a dozen existing
lakes with new watercourses and locks, was completed in 1860, but the
canal only made a profit for ten years before it was superseded by the
railways - and then left to rot.
To return to the Dartmouth ferry terminal, double back across the end of
King Street and keep straight until you reach the park that leads round
the harbourfront - in all, a five-minute walk.
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