Bowen is small enough that the people who make things here become part of the place. Some grew up here. Some built businesses here. Some left and carried a piece of the island with them.
These are a few people and places connected to Bowen, Wildwood, or both.
the locals
Bowen Cider House
Bowen Cider House is a family-run cidery on a working farm on Grafton Road, close to Wildwood.
The farm has been developed over more than 20 years, with hundreds of heritage apple trees and dozens of varieties planted across the property. The cider is made on site, and the tasting room serves a rotating selection of house-made ciders.
There is also a food menu built around family recipes and local ingredients, along with indoor and outdoor places to sit.
It feels less like a stop you check off and more like somewhere to stay for a while.
Good for:
A cider tasting, a slow afternoon, and seeing one of the businesses that has grown out of Bowen itself.
Ryan J. Harris
Ryan J. Harris is a musician and artist with a connection to Bowen Island.
He has stayed at Wildwood, and his work fits naturally with the kind of place it is: personal, grounded, outdoors, and a little rough around the edges.
That connection is part of why his work has resonated with Wildwood over time.
Emmett Sparling
Emmett Sparling grew up on Bowen Island and started photographing the forests, beaches and landscape around him when he was young.
He has since built a career as a travel photographer, director and filmmaker, working across landscapes, wildlife, underwater photography, portraits and travel storytelling around the world.
Bowen still sits somewhere underneath that work.
He has exhibited on the island, returned for photography projects, and continues to carry that early connection to place into a much larger body of work.
Stay close to it
These are some of the people and places that make Bowen feel like Bowen.
Wildwood is part of that same island.