Hawkesbury

Hawkesbury is a pleasant town of 10,200 people (2021) on the Ottawa River near the Ontario-Quebec border about midway between Montreal and Ottawa. English and French are widely spoken here. More than three quarters of the population is francophone, so it's not surprising that some people think that the town is actually called "Oxbury". A bridge crosses the river to the town of Grenville, Quebec.

For other places with the same name, see Hawkesbury (disambiguation).

Understand

History

Hawkesbury was founded in 1798, and named after Charles Jenkinson, Baron Hawkesbury.

Thomas Mears and David Pattee, two Americans, entered into a partnership in 1805 to harness the power of the lower Ottawa River and built the first sawmill on the Upper Canada side of the river. The town of Hawkesbury developed around this mill. Demand for timber during the Napoleonic Wars created a boom. The mill complex continued to grow for at least the next half century, and by 1870 it included 145 different saws and created over 35 million board feet of lumber per year.

Timber and pulp-and-paper industries have been supplanted by textiles, synthetic fibres, metal extrusions, steel, glass and plastics. Hawkesbury has also become the business and service centre of the county of Prescott-Russell, although Rockland has become the largest community. New developments today are happening due to baby boomers from Ottawa, Montreal and area purchasing some of the many new condos in town.

Get in

By car

South of Hawkesbury, Highway 417, a freeway, travels east from Ottawa and west from Montreal. Highway 417 becomes Autoroute 40, a freeway in Quebec. Between Ottawa and Montreal, Highway 417 and Autoroute 40 are part of the Trans-Canada Highway. To reach Hawkesbury from Highway 417, take Russell County Road 17 if heading westbound or head north on Highway 34 if heading eastbound.

The Long Sault Interprovincial Bridge between Hawkesbury, Ontario and Grenville, Quebec, means that Hawkesbury is within minutes of Autoroute 50, a freeway, and Route 148. Both enable travel from eastbound from Gatineau and westbound from suburbs north of Montreal.

By bus

Leduc Bus Lines, in partnership with OC Transpo, offers a commuter bus service to Ottawa and Gatineau. This service has been suspended (as of Jan 2021).

The town is served by two small private airports:

  • Hawkesbury Airport
  • Hawkesbury (East) Airport

Get around

See
  • 🌍 L'Orignal Old Jail (Ancienne Prison de L'Orignal), 1023 Rue Queen, L'Orignal, ☏ +1 613-675-4661. The oldest jail in Ontario and the second oldest jail in Canada. The L'Orignal Old Jail is a historic building where you can experience the penitentiary atmosphere of long ago. Adults $7, seniors (65+) and students $6, children (5 – 12) $4, family (2 adults + 2 children) $20. (updated Jul 2018)
  • 🌍 Cultural Centre Le Chenail (Le Centre culturel Le Chenail), 2 John St. M-F 10AM-4PM, Sa Su 1-4PM. Cultural centre for the promotion of francophone culture. (updated Jul 2018)
  • 🌍 Jacob's treasures (Les trésors Jacob), 329, Main St. East, ☏ +1 613-632-5800. It is an art gallery with several paintings, antiques, teas, coffees, stuffed animals, figurines and other treasures. (updated May 2022)

Event
  • Bike Fest Hawkesbury (Fête du vélo de Hawkesbury). Every year in September, a festival welcoming several motorcyclists is held there. Having started in 2015, Bike Fest Hawkesbury has grown very large with several activities, shows and booths. (updated May 2022)

Do

At this point the Ottawa River is wide and good for boating and sailing. Nearby on the Rouge River, whitewater activities such as rafting, kayaking and canoeing are popular.

Hobbies

In Hawkesbury, there are several places where you can participate in leisure activities such as skating, baseball, basketball, soccer, etc. There is a sports complex, the Robert Hartley Sports Complex, with exhibition halls, tennis courts, a swimming pool, indoor ice rinks, etc. However, there are several parks that allow Hawkesbury residents to participate in outdoor activities.

Here is a list of these parks:

  • 🌍 Cadieux Park, 454, rue Kitchener. (updated May 2022)
  • 🌍 Confederation Park, 2, rue John. (updated May 2022)
  • 🌍 Cyr-de-LaSalle Park, 571, rue Main est. This place is on the river with a dog park, baseball diamond and boat launch. (updated May 2022)
  • 🌍 Larocque Park, 470, rue Abbott. This park has many attractions, including a basketball court, an outdoor skating rink, a children's playground and water games. (updated May 2022)
  • 🌍 Memorial Park, 433, Cartier Blvd. (updated May 2022)
  • 🌍 Old Mill Park, 527, rue James. (updated May 2022)
  • 🌍 Sidney Park, 906, rue Sidney. (updated May 2022)

Buy

Gas prices in this region are generally lower (i.e. 5-10 cents per litre) than in Montreal and Ottawa.

Foods

Eat

Drink
  • 🌍 Beau’s Brewing Co., 10 Terry Fox Dr., Vankleek Hill, toll-free: +1-866-585-2337. W-Su 11AM-7PM. Their taproom offers a dozen different beers to try, free tastings, 5 oz. sample flights, house-baked pretzels, hot sandwiches, and beer by the glass. Indoor and outdoor seating is available, weather permitting. (updated May 2023)

Sleep

Connect

The telephone prefixes for Hawkesbury are 613, and the newer 343. You must dial the telephone prefix and the 7 other digits in order to call someone.

Cope

The Hawkesbury General Hospital provides health services for the region's population. It is the most recommended community hospital in Ontario according to the NRC Picker survey.

  • 🌍 Hawkesbury & District General Hospital (Hôpital Général de Hawkesbury & District), 1111, rue Ghislain, ☏ +1 613-632-1111. (updated May 2022)

Go next
  • 🌍 Voyageur Provincial Park, 1313 Front Road, Chute-à-Blondeau, ☏ +1 613-674-2825. Formerly called "Carillon Provincial Park", this park is a few miles east of Hawkesbury (exit 4 of highway 417). Forest park built around a bay on the south shore of the Ottawa River and offering camping sites and recreational tourism activities: biking, wildlife observations, boating, fishing, hiking, four beaches, and activities winter (10 km of cross-country ski trail and snowshoe hikes). (updated Dec 2021)
  • 🌍 Casselman. Founded in 1844, Casselman by a loyalist has developed in its history by the timber trade (sawmill) and the railroad. The village has a commercial vocation for travelers. Around the village, agriculture is the main economic activity. The main attractions are: Richelieu Park, Splash Casselman and the High Falls conservation area (on the "Rivière Nation North Road"). (updated Dec 2021)
  • 🌍 Embrun (Embrun (Ontario)). One of the most important villages in the Township of Russell. Initially, it was colonized by French-speaking Canadians. In 1932, a terrible fire destroyed many buildings in the village. Embrun has several parks and nature trails. (updated Dec 2021)
  • 🌍 Vankleek Hill. A locality founded by loyalists, the old buildings in the village feature red brick walls, usually with white trim. In the past, several cheese factories were operated there; today, the dairy industry is the main economic activity. The public can visit the former L'Orignal Prison, the Vankleek Hill Museum, the Higginson Tower and several agri-food farms, among others. (updated Dec 2021)
  • 🌍 Grenville, 1313 Front Road, Chute-à-Blondeau (North of the Ottawa River). A picturesque and modern municipality located on the north shore of the Ottawa River, in the MRC d'Argenteuil, in the province of Quebec, opposite Hawkesbury. The remaining submerged part of the Grenville Canal has a magnificent natural and historical park with a footpath. Locality with a great history and offering various services to travelers and boaters. (updated Dec 2021)
Routes through Hawkesbury
END ←  N  S  → Vankleek Hill → ENDS at


Routes through Vankleek Hill
Ottawa ← Limoges ← Jct S ←  W  E  → becomes → Rigaud → Montreal
END ← Hawkesbury ←  N  S  → ENDS at


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