Midland - Gateway to the 30,000 Islands
by Karl Berdan
May 23, 2011
Midland Harbour at sunset
Midland is a small town of 16,000 people located about 140 Km north of Toronto, Ontario. The town serves as a gateway to Georgian Bay and the 30,000 islands. The surrounding area contains numerous historic sites such as: Sainte Marie Among the Hurons, Huron Indian village, Discovery Harbour -an 1800’s English military establishment, and The Martyrs’ Shrine. Every year in September the Multy First Nations assemble along the Wye River for a celebration and hold a Pow Wow. The area is a Mecca for tourists, boaters, fishing, artists and photographers.
Midland is also a major Harbour for International tourists with Ocean liners mooring in the bay. Midland was an important site for storing and shipping grain and iron ore in earlier years. The Great lake ships once moored here including the famous Edmund Fitzgerald that sank in 1975 (see article on Georgian Bay for pictures).
Top Left: Large ship visits Penetang Bay Top Right: Martyr's Shrine Bottom Left: Grain elevator on north part of Bay now demolished for housing district Bottom right: Griffin Ice breaker moored in Midland during winter.
The Canadian Coast guard ice breaker also moors in Midland over the winter. In summer, the bay becomes a boaters paradise with several marinas and numerous sailing regattas. Midland is also the entry into cottage country and numerous artists and photographers visit the area to capture its beauty. One of the most famous photographers to live in Midland was the late Bud Watson (see article on Budd’s photography).
Spring time Trilliums bloom in the forest (May 19, 2011)
Summer sunset on 30,000 islands
Wye River in Autumn
Great Gray owl on log in winter field
Trees covered in snow and ice
White birch and red Maple leaves
Brebeuf Lighthouse in winter
Old boat in the snow
Canada Geese and goslings
Sunset in Bay near Port Severn
Photo Tips
- In summer try to get aboard one of the cruise boats or find someone with a boat to get pictures from the water
- In winter - a great way to get around is on snowmobile, but be cautious crossing the bay
- In Spring - Trilliums appear around early May
- In Autumn - best colours occur around the end of September and early October
- For sharp photos with greater depth of field use a tripod
Only a couple of Kilometers from Midland is Penetanguishene a small town of approximately 10,000. Penetanguishene means "the place of rolling white sands" in Abinaki language. The town is bilingual. Boating tours are available from the town dock and nearby is Discovery Harbour an historic site featuring an early British Military Establishment and dockyard from the 1800's that visitors can tour. The Bay is a perfect harbour for boats and hosts an annual winter festival.
You can also see more of Karl's photographs in the article on Georgian Bay in this web site.
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Karl Berdan is a retired engineer with 9 patents in plastic injection molding. In his spare  time he photographs around the Midland area. He has also photographed in Mexico, the West Coast, Europe, Alaska and the North West Territories. Karl shoots with a Nikon D300 Digital camera. His favorite lens is Nikon's 18-200 mm zoom lens.
You can purchase a 30 Minute DVD slide show on Midland in NTSC or PAL formats called “Midland and Georgian Bay, the 4 Seasons for $25 plus cost of shipping.
E-mail: kberdan@rogers.com.
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