Gros Morne National Park

Gros Morne National Park is 1,805 square kilometres of wilderness on Newfoundland's west coast. It stretches inland from the Gulf of St. Lawrence coastline through lowlands where waterways snake towards the Long Range Mountains and Tablelands. Gros Morne's ancient landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

About the visual art

• Location: Gros Morne National Park of Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador
• Company: Gros Morne Co-operating Association

I woke up 500 million years ago,
Rose to Earth's crust and witnessed the first life forms emerging from the sea.
The fragments of three continents surround me when Pangaea broke apart.

Over the years I have endured several ice ages,
And above me, kilometres of ice used to grind mountaintops, formed rivers and fjords.
The place I call home is a rugged landscape that resembles a Martian world with bountiful rivers, lakes, sea, marshes and forest.

Nowadays, they call me the Tablelands, but five thousand years ago,
The first people I met were the Maritime Archaic who gave me my first name.
Red ochre was a bridge between our worlds and we lived side by side for time immemorial. 

I have many friends, all living in harmony with the struggles of life,
But my oldest friend is Gros Morne and we have seen many seasons together.
We have been fortunate that Bonne Bay was kind to us, always bringing lively and loving people along its coast.

Our mountaintop has lived many lifetimes and local communities are now our extended family,
This place we care for has a heart and a soul, magma going through its veins.
This is a home that is heartfelt.

See the map