First, be careful not to confuse Round Harbour with the nearby community of Harbour Round. While somewhat confusing, they are not the same place.
When we arrived here, the first thing we noticed was the steep and somewhat bumpy road down into the village. But also, we couldn’t help but notice what an incredibly secluded little harbour this was. Buildings surrounded both sides, as far as the rocks would allow. Many were clearly abandoned, but several, mostly along the south side of the harbour, were still very much in use.
We parked the Rav and I began with an overview of the village using my new drone, taking video footage along both coasts. After this, I began along the north coast carefully negotiating the sometimes-treacherous walkway that was the only link from house to house. I can’t imagine how much of a chore the simple act of moving supplies might have been.
The first Newfoundland census, in 1836, reported that three families were living in Round Harbour; a total population of 18 people. In 1951, the community had reached its peak population of 114. Many services provided for the town were most readily obtained from nearby Tilt Cove who’s mines employed some of the townsfolk.
Eventually, with the bottom falling out of the cod fishery, and no other real employment to be found, the community was resettled by the Province of Newfoundland & Labrador in 2016.
