Spillars Cove: Located southeast of Cape Bonavista, about 5 km (3.1 mi) east of the community of Bonavista, the cove is named after a prominent geological formation, known locally as "The Spillards" (note the "d").

According to material included in the ENL listing, the cove has a long history as a "safe haven”.

Local lore has suggested that two men from Bonavista, Thomas Fleming and William Pearce, as far back as the early 1800s, were fishing "the lucrative inshore grounds" near Cape Bonavista and landing at the Cove decided it would be a good place to land small boats.

It is believed that they made the Cove their "summer fishing station" for a number of years before moving back to Bonavista.

It is a small community with only 71 residents according to the 2016 census, a 18.4% decrease from the 87 in 2011. On the Discovery Geopark website, the cove is described as follows, along with the geological formation referred to as "The Chimney":

Spillars Cove is a spectacular rocky bay, between Spillars Point to the east and Cape Bonavista to the west. This geosite has special significance, marking the boundary between the two geological halves of the Bonavista Peninsula.

The Spillars Cove-English Harbour Fault Zone divides the Edacaran fossil-containing rocks of the St. John's basin in the east from the rocks of the Bonavista basin in the west.

The rocks on the east side of the cove are shallow dipping sandstones, while the sedimentary rocks on the west side of the cove include sandstone and conglomerate. These steeply dipping rocks are fractured, broken and altered due to the fault zone.

The Chimney is a prominent narrow sea stack, and is the remains of an igneous intrusion. This resistant mafic igneous dyke cuts across the sedimentary rocks and is an ideal nesting site for seabirds.

The scenery in the area is spectacular. From a review on www.tripadvisor.com: Definitely the most unexpected jewel of my trip to Newfoundland. The hike varies from being easy to moderately difficult.

Standing at the top of the hills and looking towards Durrell was like a picture perfect moment. You could stand there and stare for hours. This hike and the views are not to be missed and easily rivals the beauty that I saw in Gros More National Park.

Spillars Cove near Bonavista should not be confused with the "other" Spillars Cove on the Great Northern Peninsula. While the community there was also known as "Spillars Cove" until the 1960s when, due to confusion between the two towns, and probably a lot of misdirected mail, it was renamed "Straitsview."

DUNGEON PROVINCIAL PARK:

Located on the tip of the Bonavista Peninsula near Bonavista, a collapsed sea cave with a natural archway carved out by sea action is the focus of this site. The name of the park comes from the cave.

Picnic sites and pit toilets are available for day users. From the Across the Blue Planet website comes the following description of the distinctive formation:

This unique landmark is known as the "Dungeon", it is a striking example of the power of the North Atlantic Ocean. Over the past 10,000 years, the pounding of the tides has led to coastal erosion all along the ancient rugged coastline.

The waves eventually produced sea coves in the sedimentary rock. As the caves got deeper and deeper, they eventually carved out an area that could no longer support the overhead rock.

With the collapse of the sea cove's roof, the "Dungeon" was formed. This unique is also known as a 'blow-hole' or 'gloup'.

In time, the roof of the two sea caves will unfortunately collapse, forming a sea stack. From the viewing deck, the "Dungeon" appears like two large sapphire eyes, gleaming in the sun.

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/SpillarsCoveBonavista