Welcome to Botwood

Located at the head of what is Newfoundland’s largest bay, Notre Dame Bay, the Bay of Exploits leads you 35 miles up a sheltered estuary to the port of Botwood. Botwood owes its strengthened vitality to the quality and location of its deep-water port. No where else on the island of Newfoundland can you leave the coast and land virtually in the center of Newfoundland in a vessel.

Botwood’s Beginnings

The largest river on the island of Newfoundland, the Exploits River, ends where Botwood Harbour begins. The harbour is not only naturally deep, but it is relatively fog free, sheltered and ice free for a large part of the year. These very qualities were what attracted Newfoundland’s native Beothuk Indians to use Botwood’s harbour as a vital part of the seasonal highway that carried them on their migration for bird eggs that were located along the 30 plus islands that dot the estuary leading up to Botwood. The were also seeking the rich salmon stock from the Exploits River along with the abundance of furs inhabiting our vast interior forest area, which were also the very things that also attracted our first settlers. Unfortunately, this was the beginning of the end for the Beothuk people and would eventually lead to their cultural extinction.

Botwood eventually became a logging and lumber town in the mid 1800’s, and then an international shipping port for newsprint in 1911, up until 2009 when the papermill shut its doors. Although we may be but a shadow of our former selves when it comes to industry, we continue to have so much to offer. Botwood is a great place to live, work, raise your family and retire. We have great restaurants, accommodations, tourist attractions, neighbourhoods, schools etc. Here you’ll find small town living without the stress of big city living!

“Our best asset is our people, never will you find more friendly people.“