Residents of Grand Bruit on Newfoundland's southwest coast expect to relocate by the end of summer. (CBC)

The last families living year-round in an isolated coastal settlement in southwestern Newfoundland are preparing to move out.

Grand Bruit resident Cynthia Billard is packing up her belongings this summer, and says it's heartbreaking.

"It's the little things that really get to you. For me, it was a package of candles," Billard said. "When I pulled them out and looked at the birthday candles … just like that, it was like a floodgate. I realized that there'd be no more birthdays in Grand Bruit."

The population of the once bustling fishing port has been dwindling since the collapse of the cod fishery in the early 1990s. The remnants of the community decided last year to move out after the provincial government agreed to a relocation plan proposed by the 31 residents.

The province is offering each household of two people $90,000 to leave the community and live somewhere else. It's expected this will be cheaper in the long term than continuing to provide provincial services, such as health care, to a tiny community accessible only by boat.

Billard and her family are moving west along the coast to rent a home temporarily in Port aux Basques. She said her family hasn't decided where to settle permanently. Some families in Grand Bruit say they may maintain their houses as summer residences.

Grand Bruit, which translated from French means "big noise," is believed to have received its name from the roaring waterfall that cuts through the community. Families settled there in the 1800s, likely because of the protected harbour and nearby fishing grounds.