12.5 Acre Parcel with Cottage For Sale
on Island in The Ottawa River


12.57 acres* with 550' waterfront on Fraser Island, Quebec (accessible only by boat), with a 20x20 PyramoduleTM seasonal dwelling (including items listed below). The island itself is just over the border of Ontario, where you will launch your boat 2 miles outside a small town called Westmeath, where 95% of the people speak English.

Here you have the best of both worlds. Fraser Island as well as the islands on three sides of it have remained 98% undeveloped and relatively unknown by tourists because the view from the nearest highway is flat and featureless, with farms and cattle grazing, giving passersby the impression that there's nothing of interest in the area. However, if you turn onto one of the side roads and drive for about 6 miles, another world seems to come to life, with hoards of massive green trees and a giant blue lake-view area of the Ottawa River!

*Note: The total acreage of the parcel reads 13.57 on the deed; however, one acre along the rear property line was dedicated to Skyhorse Community, which was a condition for membership; as such, each landowner [north and inclusive of the Seller's and their rear-connecting neighbor's property] has a "touch and concern" with the settlership community. Below you will see a photo of a windplant that was built on this common dedicated easement.

The photo on the left shows approx 80% of the parcel’s frontage, the northernmost tip of which is located just beyond where the patch of weeds ends; and just to the right of there is what the neighboring landowners call “Flatrock.” Pivoting from this standpoint, the photo on the right shows another 15% of the frontage, where you can see a cove (approximately 90 feet in diameter), that provides safe access for boats along an otherwise rocky shoreline with fast moving water, as well as a swimming area. The middle photo was taken while standing on westernmost point of the property's shoreline, facing north, and shows the foothills of the Laurentians (the cove lies beyond the out-rigged patch of black stones, [out of the field of view] to the right.

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There are numerous varieties of trees, including evergreens such as white cedar, white and red pine, fir, and spruce from the shoreline to about 60' inland, where then they transition into exclusively hardwoods, including maple, poplar, elm, oak, birch, black walnut, beech, hemlock, and even a few hop hornbeam (a.k.a. ironwood), among others.

As mentioned, the boat is launched from the mainland (on the Ontario side), where the landowners belonging to Skyhorse Community have sole ownership of a parcel used for parking cars and launching boats. Note: Skyhorse Community is a registered Not-for-Profit Settlership of which the Buyer will automatically become a member (there are no initial or future fees associated with this, since they were paid in full upon the creation of the Settlership community). The distance from the landing to the parcel itself is about a 15 minute boat ride. And the distance by car from the landing to the small town Westmeath, Ontario (population 600)--which has a general store with gas pumps as well as a liquor license, a restaurant and post office--is approximately 4 miles. Another 12 miles from Westmeath is Pembroke (population 15,000) which has 2 malls, including a WalMart, a Canadian Tire outlet, a theater, 2 night clubs, as well as various fast food and average to upscale restaurants, laundromats, nurseries, computer stores, etc. Pembroke also has a small airport.

The map shows Fraser Island with the subdivisions (Lot Q-32 is colored yellow). The satellite photo shows the orientation of the island (you will need to mentally rotate the island [on the map] approximately 45 degrees clockwise, to find it in the satellite photo...it's the largest island in the middle), where you can see the tiny oval-shaped white spot on the upper left side of the island (i.e. north-east side), indicating Flatrock. You can also see this in the aerial view in the group of photos shown below.

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The parcel's frontage has a view of the foothills of the Laurentian Mountains (1100' and 1200' peaks are visible), which is the best view of any parcel on the island. As mentioned, it also has the unique geological feature we call Flatrock, which is a near-level "patio" of sedimentary rock, reportedly over 40 million years old, with fossils dispersed throughout. It also has a cove for pulling in up to a dozen boats, as well as being ideal for bathing/swimming. The rear of the property has an approx 250' diameter pond. The one negative feature about the parcel is that the northern third (about 150') is prone to ponding and therefore breeds mosquitoes.

The only other area comparable to this is on the north end of the island where the river is calm and the scenery is also all natural (i.e. no structures visible) and quite beautiful, despite that the Laurentians aren't visible. However, the problem with this part of the island is that it's low-lying land is subject to flooding in the spring and early summer. The Seller's parcel, on the other hand, is low in the front but quickly rises 25' along approx two-thirds of the 550' (direction from the south side to north) and on the northern third it tapers up to about 10' above sea level (note: the heights indicated are at average river level). The PyramoduleTM is built in the center of the southern two-thirds relative to the frontage. The highest the river ever rose--to anyone's recollection--was still approx 12' below the ground level of the structure, while the finished floor of the PyramoduleTM, in turn, is built 5' above that.

In the aerial view photo you can see Flatrock on the right side of the rapids, where you will also notice the calm area of water just below Flatrock and a small strip or outrigging of dark rocks (this is the cove described above). The middle photo shows two boys standing on Flatrock, which helps give some perspective as to the size of it. Approximately two-thirds of Flatrock is part of this parcel. The photo on the right shows a wind-plant generator--as yet inoperable--built on Skyhorse Settlership's Community easement, for future use.

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The Owner is also an architectural engineering technician who designed and built the prototype of the PyramoduleTM, who also built the existing 20x20 PyramoduleTM (shown below), and also sells plans for this design on the internet, which is part of this website. (For reference, see the "doorway" page: http://pyramodule.com )

The roof of the PyramoduleTM needs to be finished, as well as shingled (i.e. asphalt; or cedar shakes, or aluminum roofing). The interior is also unfinished (i.e. no insulation or finished interior walls...although it will serve its purpose to temporarily live-in, as is, with a modified wood stove, unless attempting to stay in the winter, of course). The lower side walls also need T-111 paneling or facsimile. The interior exposed columns are (12) 4x4 western red cedar.

The photo above shows the existing 20x20 PyramoduleTM, which--as mentioned above--needs to have
the roof completed, as well as the interior finished, etc.

The photos above are the front and side views, respectively, of what the 20x20 PyramoduleTM
might look like upon completion (depending on one's preferences for roof and wall materials and colors).
For additional photos, see: http://pyramodule.com/graphics.htm

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Items included in the sale (all purchased new in 2003 and currently, as of April 2007, in mint to excellent condition, except as noted):
5hp Generator.
AC/DC Inverter with 2 batteries and 2 chargers. (2'x2' steel plate buried 3' deep for grounding.)
3.5hp water pump, including 130' of hose.
Coleman lantern and stove.
Small outdoor type woodstove (a standard stove is recommended).
6' insulated flue.
1981 Homelite chainsaw, just repaired with 2 new chains and very dependable.
8 Gallon capacity insulated cooler good up to 90deg outside temp.
queen-sized convertible futon.
Numerous miscellaneous items also included: 5 lawn chairs, aluminum ladder, wheelbarrow, shovel, sledge hammer, hard hats, and many tools, including circular saw and electric drill.

Photo on left is the view across the river, while the one on the right is
the view to the north--i.e. to the right (both are part of Allummettes Island).

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There's excellent fresh water fishing in the area including walleye, pickerel, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, pike, catfish, etc., while sturgeon swim upstream in the fall. There are black bear, moose, whitetail deer, timber wolves, raccoons, beavers, porcupines, and numerous weasels, from ferrets to polecats to beavers; rodents including woodchucks (townsfolk call them "groundhogs"), squirrels, and chipmunks. (Note: The bears and other animals can effectively be kept away by burying anything discardable that is organic, otherwise keeping perishables refrigerated. If when barbecuing, it's also possible a bear will smell it and come to investigate. Loud sounds of any sort will invariably chase it away, especially loud fireworks. Keeping in mind that I've lived there for most of 7 years, there have been a few instances where bears have approached the area, which happened exclusively in early spring. In such instances, it isn't advisable to approach or feed them. This is in fact a rule of thumb for any animal in the wild, for numerous reasons, especially for their as well as your protection.)

There is a nest of ospreys just south of the property, next to a sand shoal. There are also bald eagles, sparrow hawks, giant woodpeckers, bluebirds, and ravens, among others.

It's worth mentioning that there is a rich Native American history to the area, and to this island in particular. The two main tribes were Algonquin and Blackfoot. Some artifacts were found on Fraser Island, including a wooden bust and some stone arrowheads.

The Ottawa River, back in the 1800's, was also used for logging, where Fraser Island (at that time called Markot Island) was used as a resting area, before they would continue on to the more difficult waters; for example, on the other side of the 180 degree bend, toward La Passe and Beachberg, are powerful and even treacherous rapids (among the strongest in all of North America!), where today there are at least 3 river rafting companies, the most popular being Wilderness Tours.

The neighbors on the island are mostly professionals (attorneys, an architect, an anesthesiologist, and a dentist) who come up mostly in late August to mid-October.

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Here are some "backwoods" photos. On the left is the rear property line, which we blazed a trail through (taken in early October, when the leaf-change was at its peak). The middle shows a grassy knoll which is part of the ravine leading from a pond; in early spring, the knoll fills with water, whose height can vary considerably, depending on numerous factors, especially the previous winter's snowfall. The photo on the right shows the adjacent permanent pond (approximate diameter is 250' and the depth in the middle seems to average about 10 feet. It's approximately one-third on Seller's and two-thirds on the neighbor's land.)

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Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights aren't uncommon and sometimes quite spectacular. Also the stars on moonless nights are exceptionally clear, since almost zero ambient light pollution, revealing an exceptional view of the Milky Way.

This is a must see, must experience area. There are also two islands (Reed and Fitzpatrick Islands) north of Fraser Island, which have extraordinary geological features, with the islands themselves possessing massive trenches/watersheds clefting through each island, with massive split chunks of ancient sedimentary rock strewn along the side of Fitzpatrick as well as stone formations within each of the islands themselves providing significant and impressive exploration. See (6) photos below.

The above (6) photos were all taken in the channel between Fitzpatrick and Reed Islands. Refering to the aerial photo above, these two islands can be found north of Fraser Island.

Note: Only when the river is a certain height is it safe to take a motorboat into the channel; however, a canoe can be taken anytime (kayaks wouldn't be advisable due to the numerous boulders under the surface of the water). A marker for estimating how safe it would be to take a motorboat in, is by estimating the height of what we call "Catfish Rock," which is a massive boulder that's always surrounded by water, located on the northwestern tip of Fraser Island; there's a large cleft in the rock itself, which if seen above water means that the river is too low for motoring into the channel. Nevertheless, whether going through with a motorboat or canoe, the trip is exhilarating! And exploring these two islands is full of geological wonders, including a giant inverted stone "dish," sink holes that can be climbed into, a deep creek [on Reed Island] flanked by massive hardwoods, and most interesting of all, an underground watershed, passing east and west through Fitzpatrick and Reed. A friend said on the trip through the channel, "This place looks like the aftermath of some massive Jurrasic upheaval!"

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Spectacular Sunsets

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INFORMATION

Asking Price: $72,500 USD (note: reduced from $95,000 USD)
Owner: Frank and Ethel Maiello
Email: pyramodule@yahoo.com (Please note in subject: "Fraser Island Land Sale")