Chemainus Things to Do

The Weyerhauser Mill is newly designed and technologically efficient, now competing with the rest of the world. Wood is made to order, and they are able to extract the highest grade of lumber from every piece.

As I come from Australia, I found it quite interesting, seeing all the logs in the water, and watching the freighters load up with lumber for distant markets, probably Japan, which is a major customer.
The working sawmill has tours available

The is another 'different' attraction.

If you come to Chemainus, then you must have a look at the beautiful Mural's that are painted around the town.
The Mural's, began in 1982, and now, there are over 40, and still growing!

Most of them are in the Centre of Town, but to see all of them, you need to head to the Old Town area, where there are about eight more, may be more now. On the way, you will also pass a couple of others.
Start the self-guided walking tour of the murals by following the painted yellow feet around town from the Visitor Info centre.
I bought the Mural pamphlet from the centre, it provided a short note about each of the murals.
All of the Mural's portray the history of Chemainus, celebrating native heritage, the Japanese legacy, and early settlers and more.

The Mural's are so well done, and I thought a great way to depict the history of the town and area.

Not only Mural's in this town, but excellent sculpture's scattered around the town too!

On my opening page, is a photo of the carving based on the first mural to be painted in Chemainus,.......' Steam Donkey At Work.
It is a three-dimensional cedar depiction showing the steam donkey.

My photo is of a sculpture in town, depicting a scene on a moonlit summer's night in 1913, when two young boys were "set up" for a bit of fun. Eventually the boys realized this, and it all ended with a good laugh!

Others are the Water Wheel, The Hermit [man with a wheelbarrow], The Sea Captain, The Three generations, The Older generation [ a couple sitting on a park bench] and the Peace Pole.

Waterwheel Park is located in the main part of Chemainus.

If your a tourist, you will find it nestled in giant fir trees, near the Tourist Information centre.
Quite a few of the trees are indigenous to Vancouver Island.

There is a lovely Mural, and a Waterwheel which is a replica of the original that powered the early mills. This wheel and the first phase of the park were constructed as part of the 1967 Canadian Centennial celebrations.

The children’s playground has a tall ship for playing on, and a big canoe. This park would be great for families.

In days gone by.... Waterwheel Park was part of the grounds of the mill manager's house. This house was demolished in 1952.

Chemainus, known as 'THE LITTLE TOWN THAT DID' and for its Murals.

The way we saw the Mural's, was by taking the Chemainus Express around the town. This was like a mini steam train, included the driver and a young lady who gave a commentary all the way. The tour was good and interesting, plus it saved our legs that were pretty tired as we were nearing the end of our holiday.

Another option, is the Horse drawn carriage/trolley ride.
Both of these depart from Waterwheel park, which is near the tourist information Centre.

Feeling energetic, then you could follow the yellow sidewalk footprints and do your own tour. Another way, is to join the "first lady of Chemainus, Isabelle Askew" who will take you on walkabout, departing regularly from the centre throughout the summer.

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CHEMAINUS is one of my favorite towns in Canada.

It is a town that is well known for its Mural's, something that I really enjoy viewing, but what I also found here, was lots of lovely painted very quaint houses.
There are mill houses along Chemainus Road, as well as historic character homes in the Old Town.
Do take the time either to walk or drive around and view these buildings, it was quite obvious that the owner's took much pride in them.

This famous theatre offers approximately 5 different productions throughout the year. Visitors can stay in the newly built close by Chemainus Festival Best Western Hotel. Package deals (hotel and theatre) available from $89 per person based on double occupancy.

The CHEMAINUS THEATRE is another big draw in town and presents live professional theatre year-round, with special summer family production, new plays featuring guest artists from across North America, pre-show dining and a gallery displaying works by local artists.

Created by Paul Ygartua, in 1983, NATIVE HERITAGE is based on the figures from the Native past and present in this area. Three tribes are depicted. This mural was my favourite. Also the flowers surrounding it were absolutely beautiful.

Tuesday, June 3. After Duncan, we came across CHEMAINUS Famous for its Murals. Also known as "The Little Town that Did", became Canada's largest permanent art gallery. Over 32 murals cover the public buildings, depicting the early life of the area.