New Brunswick·Roadside History
It turns out you don’t need to leave New Brunswick to experience a European vacation, but you may have to share your accommodations with a flock of cormorants.
You can swim to Europe … kind of
Jordan Gill · CBC News
· Posted: May 24, 2026 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 24 minutes ago
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One of two Ballast Heaps in Richibucto Harbour. (Canadian Register of Historic Places)
It turns out you don’t need to leave New Brunswick to experience a European vacation, but you may have to share your accommodations with a flock of cormorants.
The Ballast Heaps are two small man-made islands in Richibucto Harbour.
The islands were added to the Canadian register of historic places in 2009, and their origin points to a rather busy time in the eastern New Brunswick town’s history.
“This was the third busiest port in New Brunswick,” historian James Upham said. “Which is saying something compared to Saint John and Moncton and the Miramichi.”
Clues in the name
The key to the construction of the two islands are is in their names: ballast.
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