Room 209 - Welcome to the Sidney Island Room
Sidney Island, just four kilometers offshore from Sidney, was one of the earliest places settled on the Pacific Coast. It was original-ly named Sallas Island by the officers of the Hudson Bay Company but was renamed in 1859, by Captain Richards of the H.M.C.S. Plumper, after his friend’s son. In 1910, the Island was purchased by a group of Victoria businessmen whose intent was to use it as a private hunting preserve.
In 1981, Sidney Spit Marine Park was created and the remainder of the island purchased by the present owner, Sallas Forest Limited Partnership, which has created a bare land strata development. The 400-hectare Sidney Spit Marine Park is situated on the Island’s northern tip. It features a dramatic sweep of white sand beach, thousands of meters long, salt marshes, extensive tidal flats and towering bluffs. The Park’s name comes from its famous sandbar, the Sidney Spit.