Mill Bay Harbour was established in the early 1860s, twenty years after Victoria was founded. Many of the settlers arrived on board the HMS Hecate, which came to the Cowichan Bay Area from England.
Mill Bay was the location of a power-generating station for Henry Shepard’s sawmill. An American industrialist named W. Sayward turned the mill into one of the major industries in the area.
The harbour is quite busy, there are restaurants, wharves, kayak rentals, guides, tour boat operators, and just about everything in between. You can catch a ferry here that will take you to Brentwood Bay. This is a great way to avoid the snow in the winter on the Malahat.
It’s a laid-back way of life here, and although you are only a few miles from Victoria, it’s a nice place. Come on and take a visit.