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.
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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.
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.
Photo on left is the view across the river, while the one on the right is
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. In the
rare instance of encountering a bear, 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.
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.)
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!"
Asking Price: $95,000.00 U.S. (note: priced to sell!)
the view to the north--i.e. to the right (both are part of Allummettes Island).
Spectacular Sunsets
INFORMATION
Owner: Frank and Ethel Maiello
Email: pyramodule@yahoo.com (Please note in subject: "Fraser Island Land Sale")