Georgian Bay communities
Waterfront towns, Victoria Harbour, Port McNicoll, Waubaushene, with a quieter pace, great value and easy access to the water.
Tay Township is a cluster of distinct waterfront towns just east of Midland, Victoria Harbour, Port McNicoll, Waubaushene, and Waverley, each keeping its own identity while sharing one township government. Together they are often the most attainable way onto the Georgian Bay water. It trades big-town amenities for shoreline, trail, and easy highway access south.
Tay Township is a collection of small waterfront towns, Victoria Harbour, Port McNicoll, Waubaushene, and Waverley, each its own place while falling under one township government, and together they offer some of the most affordable access to Georgian Bay water in the area.
Life here is quiet and small in scale. The Tay Shore Trail runs for kilometres along the water and connects to the Trans Canada Trail, and residents drive the short distance into Midland for larger shopping and the hospital. Port McNicoll carries a piece of history as a former Canadian Pacific rail and steamship terminal, the historic home port of the steamship SS Keewatin, which gives the town a distinct character.
Each town has its own feel. Victoria Harbour is the established core with its marina and downtown, Port McNicoll pairs its railway heritage with newer waterfront development, Waubaushene sits closest to the highway, and Sturgeon Bay to the east is a quieter waterfront pocket. Together they give Tay more variety than its size suggests, and more ways onto the water for the money.
I own property across all four of these towns, Tay included, so I follow each town's market closely. One local quirk worth knowing: out toward Waubaushene you are closer to top-water fishing, so you will spot anglers casting from their boats, where the Midland, Penetanguishene, and Tiny side leans more to down-rigging in deeper water.
Tay gives you a real shot at waterfront or water-view living for less than Midland or Tiny, with in-town homes walking distance to the water and the Tay Shore Trail, plus more affordable inland rural properties.
Port McNicoll is usually the most affordable of the towns, simply because it has not been built up yet. It has cottages down on Paradise Point, some three-season and some four-season, municipal services into the main area, and a good amount of vacant land, though much of that land carries building holds until services reach it, so check carefully before buying a lot. Victoria Harbour has more going on: a world-class marina and genuine waterfront on Robbins Point Road, Hoyt, and Bayside. The trade-off in both towns is services. There is little shopping or dining, so you drive into Midland or Orillia, which is part of why prices here have stayed more stable and affordable.
Tay Township is largely a year-round community of commuters and retirees rather than a seasonal cottage strip, with most towns on municipal services and maintained roads.
That makes it an easier year-round buy than the more cottage-heavy townships, though some waterfront properties are still seasonal in nature, so confirm servicing and winter access on the specific home. For buyers who want to live on or near the water full-time without the cottage-country caveats, Tay is one of the more straightforward choices.
Tay is generally among the more affordable entry points onto the Georgian Bay shoreline, though waterfront still carries a premium over inland homes.
Because Victoria Harbour, Port McNicoll, and Waubaushene each price differently, and because waterfront and in-town homes are separate markets, it is worth getting current figures for the specific town and street rather than a township average. Reach out for live sold data on the pocket you are considering.
What you will not find much of in Tay is the very top end of the market. The township is defined by attainable and mid-range housing rather than trophy estates, which is exactly why first-time buyers, young families, and downsizers keep finding their way here. If your budget is stretched thin trying to reach the water in Midland or Tiny, Tay is usually the first place I point people.
Tay sits right on Highway 12 and close to Highway 400, roughly 10 to 15 minutes to Midland and about 45 minutes to Barrie, which makes it one of the easier Georgian Bay areas for a regular commute south.
The highway 400 access near Waubaushene is Tay's quiet advantage: it shortens the drive to Barrie and the GTA compared with towns further out on the bay. For a buyer who still needs to get downtown a few days a week, Tay is one of the more commuter-friendly options on the water. That same proximity makes Victoria Harbour a popular summer-home area, since it shaves the drive from Toronto as well.
Tay Township has elementary schools in its towns and the Tay Shore Trail as its signature amenity, but looks to Midland for high school, the hospital, and larger shopping.
Community centres, arenas, and waterfront parks anchor local life, and the trail network is a genuine draw for walkers and cyclists. As with the other townships, Tay trades institutional density for shoreline and affordability, with Midland's full services a short drive away.
Service levels vary by town in Tay. In Victoria Harbour, the core generally has municipal water and sewer, while some outskirts have municipal water but still run on septic, and other pockets use wells and septic entirely. Confirm which you are buying, along with the usual waterfront shore road allowance and flood checks. If you are looking at vacant land, especially around Port McNicoll, check for building holds, since some lots cannot be built on until services reach them.
Port McNicoll's newer development sits alongside much older town housing, so building age and systems differ widely street to street. Some lots close to Highway 400 carry road noise. And any waterfront purchase still needs the shore road allowance and high-water history confirmed before conditions come off.
It is also worth understanding each town's trajectory. Port McNicoll has room to grow and newer housing, Victoria Harbour is more built out, and Waubaushene trades some quiet for highway convenience. Matching the town to how you actually live, commute, and spend your weekends matters as much here as the house itself.
Comparing towns is half of buying here. Read the neighbouring guides: Midland · Penetanguishene · Tiny Township · Wasaga Beach. If you are weighing two of them, the Midland vs. Penetanguishene comparison shows how I break it down.
On the market
Get every Tay Township listing the moment it hits the market, straight from Jonathan Wallace.
Tay Township is made up of the towns of Victoria Harbour, Port McNicoll, Waubaushene, and Waverley, along with surrounding rural areas on the Georgian Bay shoreline east of Midland.
Tay Township suits buyers who want affordable access to the Georgian Bay water in a quiet, year-round town setting with easy highway access south. It relies on nearby Midland for high school, the hospital, and larger shopping.
Tay is generally among the more affordable entry points onto the Georgian Bay shoreline, and buyers priced out of Midland waterfront often find better value in its towns. Waterfront still carries a premium, so confirm current figures for the specific town.
The Tay Shore Trail is a paved multi-use trail that runs for kilometres along the Georgian Bay shoreline through Tay Township's towns and connects to the Trans Canada Trail. It is one of the township's signature amenities for walkers and cyclists.
Yes. Tay's towns of Victoria Harbour, Port McNicoll, and Waubaushene all sit on the water, and the township is often one of the more attainable places to buy waterfront or water-view property on Southern Georgian Bay.
Get in touch with Jonathan Wallace for a straight read on Tay Township and current numbers. Selling? See exactly how I market and sell homes here, with my risk-free listing promise behind it.