An Entire Private Island Once Farmed by Sir William Coaker
484 freehold acres of untouched wilderness in Newfoundland's Dildo Run — boat or seaplane access only, protected anchorage, mature forest and rocky shoreline, and iceberg sightlines in season. Minutes from the New World Island causeway and the tourism hub of Twillingate.
An island whose name is already written into Newfoundland history
Coaker's Island sits in the sheltered waters of Dildo Run, a maze of coves and channels between New World Island and the open Atlantic, a short boat ride from the New World Island causeway and the tourism hub of Twillingate. It is reached only by boat or seaplane — 484 freehold acres of mature forest, rocky shoreline and protected anchorage, with iceberg sightlines in season, and not another structure on it.
The island is named for Sir William Ford Coaker (1871–1938), who farmed at a settlement called "Coakerville" on an island in this very run in the early 1900s. It was there, by his own account, that he worked out the first constitution for an organization of Newfoundland fishermen, sealers and loggers — the Fishermen's Protective Union, which he founded in 1908. The FPU went on to build Port Union, still standing today as Canada's only union-built town, and in 1986 Parks Canada designated Coaker a National Historic Person for the social and economic reforms the union set in motion.
That history is part of what makes this offering unusual: a private island of real size, in a province with no shortage of coastline but very few blocks of freehold acreage this large, carrying a name that predates almost every other listing on the market.
An island you simply cannot find twice
A namesake in Newfoundland history
Named for Sir William Coaker, founder of the Fishermen's Protective Union and a Parks Canada National Historic Person — who farmed "Coakerville" on an island in this very run before the union that reshaped rural Newfoundland was born.
484 acres, entirely private
At roughly $2,893 per acre, this is the largest and lowest per-acre private island currently offered in Atlantic Canada — real freehold acreage at a scale that is genuinely difficult to find on the market today.
Boat or seaplane access only
No causeway, no road in — true privacy, with a protected anchorage, mature forest and rocky shoreline throughout the island.
A front-row seat to Iceberg Alley
Minutes from the New World Island causeway and Twillingate — one of Newfoundland's most-visited destinations — with iceberg sightlines in season from the island's own shoreline.
A resort, a preserve, or a legacy — the canvas is yours
Zoned rural, with 484 acres and no development on it today, Coaker's Island is a rare blank canvas: a private eco-resort or wilderness lodge trading on genuine seclusion and a real historical story; a family legacy holding meant to stay exactly as it is for generations; or a conservation preserve protecting one of the larger privately-held tracts of coastal forest in the region.
Its proximity to Twillingate — one of Newfoundland's most popular international tourist destinations, at the heart of Iceberg Alley — means an operator building toward hospitality or eco-tourism isn't starting from zero on visibility; the destination already exists next door.
If you have been searching for a genuine private island in Atlantic Canada — to build something on, to preserve exactly as it is, or simply to own outright — this is a rare opportunity at a rare price.
Where it sits, and how much there is
The property does not yet have ground-level or drone photography on file — the images below are satellite and survey reference maps, not photographs of the island itself.
Enquire About Coaker's Island
Listed by Mike Turner, Broker/Owner of Royal LePage Turner Realty.
Ask a question, request further detail, or arrange a viewing by boat or seaplane — we work with buyers across Canada and beyond.
Prefer to call? 709-424-6517 · [email protected]