The Wilderness Castle with the Hourly Drawbridge
Day breaks, but instead of the roaring of engines and sirens, you hear the waves lapping just beyond the bushes in your back yard.
Your move felt like an uncertain risk, but within the first couple of months you realized what you bought was a calm and tranquility you could not find in most small towns. You bought a time machine to a simpler time with neighbours that knew your name, and community was not based on a street name or style of house. You moved to an island where cars are not the centre of daily life, where main transportation is bicycle, golf cart, or just a short walk to a neighbour’s… a place small enough that almost everyone is a neighbour, with a vibrant year-round community of approximately 350 residents. A few of the houses only come to life during the peak months, as Protection Island is outside the area subject to BC’s Speculation and Vacancy Tax. Though those neighbours may be seasonal, there are still close friends to be had. Yet for such a small community, there is a surprising amount here: forested parks and beaches, a community garden, library, museum, Beacon House community hall and even its own fire hall.
Yet you are so close to Nanaimo that your home is part of the municipality. A short 10 minute passenger only ferry ride that leaves each way once every hour from 7AM-10PM each day enforces a slower way of life.
The calm serenity of a remote cabin is your daily life, and within a very short time you are directly in down town Nanaimo, able to walk, bus, or simply pick up your car on the other side for a short commute to and from work. Your significant other took a remote job, as all you need for work is at home: stable internet, BC Hydro, and cell service. You can even get grocery delivery! Also, being on an island does not mean being cut off from the Lower Mainland. Once across the harbour in Nanaimo, you have several ways to continue your trip: Hullo passenger ferry to downtown Vancouver, Harbour Air seaplane and Helijet helicopter connections, along with BC Ferries from Departure Bay and even Duke Point. It is an unique combination, you can wake up surrounded by forest and ocean on a tiny island community, while still having several different ways to reach the every busy Vancouver. Admittedly, there are a few small adaptions: a generator backup just in case, a bit more food storage because you may be inspired for a special dish and don’t want to wait to order that special ingredient for the next day, but life surprisingly is not much different. A little slower but access to everything you could want, without most of the stresses the 100,000+ person town across the puddle would add.
Sipping your coffee, watching the otters play in the ocean below, and watching as the new fawn bounds across your yard chasing after its mother – a common way to start your morning. Kids leave home at 6:40AM to catch the 7 ferry, a short walk, then getting to school about 8. They will be coming back through the door at 4:20, chatting while walking up the dirt roads to their perspective homes, where every neighbour kid knows each other. A similar commute time to the city you came from, without all the concerns of public transit and rush hour traffic. Today would be a good day to have a picnic supper by the beach. The neighbours dropped off some crab they caught off their dock the other day; it will make a great dip to add to the picnic. Later tonight you will take them up on their offer for a wine on their dock and maybe catch a few yourselves while admiring the sunset, hoping to glimpse a whale in the distance.
If you are looking for a lifestyle change where things move a little slower because they have to, and you are in nature, not just near it, consider Protection Island.
Beautiful properties, ocean views, large trees and wildlife are only part of it. Forested public parks are spread throughout the island, with beaches and ocean access never far away. Smugglers Park and Smugglers Beach give residents a place to walk from forest to shoreline without leaving their own neighbourhood.
For a year-round population of only about 350, there is also an unusual amount of community infrastructure: Beacon House community hall and library, a museum, community garden, PINA (Protection Island Neighbourhood Association), Block Watch, community events and an island fire hall. Each amenity is balanced with the trade-cost of immediate convenience, but convenience is still there as you build your daily rhythm.
Before moving to this oasis of tranquility, let us explore the location a bit more:
Protection island is both part and apart from Nanaimo’s municipality. It still has:
- City of Nanaimo municipal water
- Municipal sewer system via individual STEP tanks/pumps
- Nanaimo Fire Rescue presence with a paid-on-call island fire station
- Fire hydrants
- City building permits and inspections
- Police coverage
- BC Ambulance/emergency-response access, although transport logistics differ
- BC Hydro Electricity
- Cable/internet/phone service
- City parks and public land
- Nanaimo street addresses and municipal services/governance
- Access to Nanaimo schools, with off-island transportation arrangements for students
- Downtown Nanaimo only about a 10-minute passenger-ferry ride away
And more than what Nanaimo has to offer:
- No through traffic/20-km-h lifestyle,
- Approximately 350 full-time residents
- Stronger community connection,
- Island-and-marine wildlife at your doorstep,
- Immediate ocean recreation,
- a strong sense of neighbourhood security and an active Block Watch (up to 80% participation)
- and the unusual combination of ferry/pub/library/museum/community garden serving only a few hundred residents.
- And something particularly unusual for a property that is technically inside the City of Nanaimo: Protection Island is outside the area subject to BC’s Speculation and Vacancy Tax because it is normally accessible only by air or water.
Lets compare Protection Island with Nanaimo living:
| What You Trade | What Helps Offset It |
| Regular vehicle access to Nanaimo — passenger ferry only | The crossing is only about 10 minutes |
| No grocery store or pharmacy | An established grocery and supply delivery service is available |
| No gas station | There are essentially no conventional cars to fuel |
| No school on the island | School District 68 provides transportation assistance specifically for Protection Island students |
| No medical clinic or hospital | Nanaimo medical services are across the harbour, and the island has its own paid-on-call fire station for emergency response |
| No regular City garbage pickup at each driveway | Island garbage and recycling pickup services are available |
| No paved suburban streets | Gravel roads, low speeds and virtually no through traffic are part of the lifestyle |
| No frequent city-style transit | The ferry generally runs hourly, making trips predictable and easy to plan around |
| Large-item delivery is more complicated | Established freight and barge services move appliances, lumber and equipment |
| Renovations and construction require extra logistics | Local contractors and transport providers are accustomed to working on the island |
| No instant access to mainland restaurants and shopping | Downtown Nanaimo is about 10 minutes away by ferry, and the island has the Dinghy Dock Pub |
| Travel can be affected by severe weather | The crossing is short and ferry service operates year-round, weather permitting |
| Few businesses within walking distance | You gain beaches, trails, ocean access, wildlife and a quieter environment |
| Less anonymity than a typical city neighbourhood | The small population supports strong neighbour connections, PINA, Block Watch and community involvement |
| Less immediate mainland-style emergency access | The island has its own fire station, hydrants and organized emergency planning |
| No normal car commute from your driveway | Residents commonly walk, cycle, use golf carts or keep a vehicle on the Nanaimo side |
| Major construction can cost more | The added expense primarily affects major renovations and new builds, rather than ordinary home ownership |
| You can’t always casually “run out for one thing” | Delivery services and planning help — and the slower pace is part of the attraction |
It is legally and municipally a Nanaimo neighbourhood, but day-to-day it functions as a small island community. It truly can be the best of both worlds.
Options to get off Protection Island and beyond:
•Down Town Nanaimo (Foot Passenger Ferry) – The public passenger ferry to Protection Island (operating from downtown Nanaimo near Front Street and Promenade Drive) charges standard cash fares of $8 one-way or $15 for a round trip for adults, and $4 one-way or $8 round trip for children aged 6–12.
https://www.dinghydockpub.com/protection-island-ferry-schedule/
•Vancouver (Hullo Ferry) – $20–$40 each way
https://hullo.com/
• Vancouver (Seaplane) – ~20 minutes, ~$79–$149
https://www.harbourair.com/
• Victoria – ~60–90 minutes drive
Want to learn more about living on Vancouver Island? Check out the first of the series, “Choose your own adventure.”
