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MEDIA FACTSHEET B
Nodes of Interest on Pulau Ubin
The following are destinations with ecological and cultural significance to Pulau Ubin.
Destination
Ubin Jetty
Background
The main jetty was built in 1978. It was upgraded in 1994 to cater to
the number of visitors arriving on the island; the upgraded jetty
features a sheltered walkway and seating area for the comfort of
visitors. The main jetty was featured on one of the stamps that
commemorated the island’s heritage.
Before this jetty was built, the island was served by a jetty built
during the Japanese Occupation that was sited not far from the
current jetty. Back then, boats carrying passengers to the island had
to beach on mud plains to let their passengers get off. The
passengers would have to make their way on foot across the mud
plains to complete their journey to the island. On 24 October 1965, a
jetty was constructed and opened by then Minister of Education Mr
Ong Pang Boon to replace the one built during the Japanese
Occupation. When the current jetty was completed, the old jetty was
abandoned.
Noordin
Beach
Noordin Beach was a popular camping ground on the Northern coast
of Pulau Ubin. Since 1999, erosion of the beach has been observed
but the situation worsened drastically from 2004. The erosion has
exposed the foundation of the old buildings and undermines the
structural integrity of two shelters there. In view of the potential safety
risks to visitors, the campsite was closed in 2013.
Erosion has also been observed at various parts of Pulau Ubin’s
coastline. The erosion of Ubin shores results in a loss of coastal
habitats and their vegetation (e.g. beach forests and mangroves.) It
also results in a loss of recreational opportunities, as in the case at
Noordin Site.
Ketam
Mountain
Bike Park
The Ketam Mountain Bike Park is an illustration of how recreation
can co-exist with nature conservation. Designed by a consultant from
the U.S. based International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA),
the bike park was built over 45 hectares of derelict land used
formerly for a granite quarry, and has about 10 km of tracks around
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the fringes of the Ketam Quarry for avid mountain bikers to hone
their skills.
The site has been reforested with over 2,000 shrubs and trees,
creating habitats for biodiversity like birds, butterflies and dragonflies.
Ketam
Quarry
Formerly known as Aik Hwa Quarry, the company operated from
1964 to 1999. It employed more than 100 workers, most of them
residents of the island. In the 1990s, the company was supplying
Singapore with 160 to 180 tonnes of granite every month, or 30 to 40
percent of Singapore’s granite demand for construction works.
The quarry was closed in May 1999 and many of the company’s
former employees retired and left the island. Those who remained on
the island became fishermen or farmers, or operated shops to cater
to the growing number of visitors to the island.
This was the last granite quarry to be closed on the island.
Butterfly Hill
Butterfly Hill – a knoll created specially to conserve and showcase
butterflies. About a football field in size, the knoll attracts about 140
species of butterflies.
Butterfly Hill is a successful model of how the community can be
involved in nature conservation efforts. Local butterfly expert, Khew
Sin Khoon, provided advice on how to plant over 50 butterflyattracting plant species. Some of these were “nectaring” plants
whose flowers provide energy-rich nectar for adult butterflies, while
others were “host” plants fed upon by caterpillars. For aesthetic
purposes, nectaring plants were generally placed near the edge of
footpaths, shielding the host plants whose leaves were sometimes
decimated by the voracious caterpillars.
Butterfly species you are likely to see at Butterfly Hill include the Blue
Glassy Tiger, Black Veined Tiger, Common Bluebottle and Cycad
Blue. Rarities include the Common Jay and Dwarf Crow. The latter
species was previously presumed to be extinct from Singapore. It
was only rediscovered in 2002 from Pulau Ubin and is so far known
only from this locality. Species previously not recorded from Pulau
Ubin like the Common Birdwing and Common Rose, have also been
attracted to the hill and are now a common sight.
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As a result of this successful effort, Mr Khew Sin Khoon went on to
form the Butterfly Circle, which continues to be involved in
establishing butterfly habitats in other areas in Singapore.
Pekan
Quarry
Pekan Quarry was previously known as Ho Man Choo Quarry, but
was renamed to reflect its proximity to the main village (“pekan” is
Malay for “town”) of Pulau Ubin.
The site had two quarry pits that “merged” into one as the pits filled
up with rainwater. The water at Pekan Quarry overflows at a
drainage point that leads to the sea.
A look-out point was provided in 2007 to enable visitors to enjoy
scenic views of the quarry. This has been very well received by
visitors who often stop here to take photos.
House 363B
This house once belonged to a local provision shop owner and was
vacated in 2005. As the house was still in good condition, NParks
worked with the relevant agencies to retain it for use as a
demonstration kampong house. Fitted out to resemble a live-in
house, House 363B will feature as a final stop for a new Kampong
Tour, led by volunteers. The house will also be used as a base for
volunteers keen on community gardening.
Wayang
Stage
The Wayang Stage was an important part of social life on Pulau
Ubin. For decades, wayang performances at the stage were the
island’s only form of entertainment. The stage started off as a small
hut with a basic wooden stage. The residents made improvements to
the hut, but by 1971 it was completely rebuilt and is now the current
stage that stands opposite the Tua Peh Gong Temple. This stage is
three times the size of the original stage. In the past, the stage
served as rallying platforms during election times.
During festive dates like Vesak Day and the Hungry Ghost Festival,
wayang troupes would stage wayang performances at the stage to
celebrate the occasion and honour the patron deities of the Tua Peh
Gong Temple. Even when the number of residents on the island
started to decline, the performances continued to be staged to
honour the patron deities.
One opera piece that is unique to Pulau Ubin is the “Beggar
Capturing the Devil”. This piece was composed in Pulau Ubin and is
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only performed on the last night of performances. This is because it
is believed that when this piece of opera was first performed, it was
to stave off bad luck. The troupe that performed became very
wealthy the following year. And ever since that time, this piece of
opera has been popular with residents of the island who would
request for it to be performed only on the last day of performances.
German Girl The German Girl Shrine is located close to Ketam Quarry and it is
Shrine
perhaps the most enigmatic feature on the island. The shrine is
dedicated to a German girl believed to have died on the island. The
shrine is popular with visitors from Singapore Island because it is
believed that the spirit of the German girl would grant lucky lottery
numbers to its believers.
The story of this shrine originated from the First World War when the
British were rounding up Germans in Singapore to be interned. A
German family was living on the island at the time. One evening in
1915, a detachment of British personnel was sent to take the family
into custody. The father and mother of the family were arrested but
their daughter slipped away into the darkness. During her escape
she accidentally fell into the quarry and died. Quarry workers found
her body the next day and buried her nearby. After the war, the
parents of the girl were released from internment. After a fruitless
search for their daughter, they left Singapore for good. Years later, it
was said that her grave was discovered and whoever prayed at the
grave became very lucky and blessed with lottery winnings.
As a result, a shrine was set up and dedicated to the girl. Many
people would make offerings of ladies’ fashion accessories or
cosmetics in exchange for good luck. The shrine has been the
subject of great interest to paranormal groups in Singapore.
Kampong
Durian
Traditional Malay kampong houses are located in the eastern part of
the island. During the 1880s, Encik Endun Senin initiated a major
migration project to settle inhabitants from Kallang River area to
Pulau Ubin. About 50 families settled around the South-eastern coast
of the island at Kampong (Kg) Durian, Kg Melayu, Kg Sungei Durian
and Kg Surau. Most of them were fishermen.
The Malay houses are either built on raised platforms or on the
ground. Usually, a house is a combination of both. The raised
platform allows for greater ventilation. The houses are built on timber
posts and have timber walls. Attap-thatched roofs (made from Nipah
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palm leaves) used to be common and have been converted to
corrugated zinc roofs or clip-lock metal roofs. Elevated, they avoid
contact with the dirt from the ground and flooding from the adjacent
mangrove. The veranda is ideal for neighbourly social gathering.
The casement windows have timber railings. Often, colourful curtain
are parted at the centre and are secured at mid-length. The timber
panel wall tops are laced with decorative timber grilles.
The master bedrooms are usually on raised platforms. The dining
rooms, kitchens, and toilets are built on the ground.
Jelutong
Campsite
The 7.5-ha Jelutong Campsite is the largest and most popular
campsite in Pulau Ubin with space for over 100 four-men tents. It is
near to the village hub and has amenities such as campfire pits,
toilets, and shelters. The campsite overlooks Butterfly Hill, a knoll
created specially to conserve and showcase butterflies.
Tua Peh
Gong
Temple
The Tua Peh Gong Temple located across the Wayang Stage and in
the town centre is the secondary temple of the main Tua Peh Gong
Temple that is located near Ketam Quarry. The main temple on the
island is located on a granite hill, next to the 1st granite quarry that
established by Straits Settlement Government. This quarry was also
later known as Ho Man Choo Quarry. It was dedicated to the deity
Tua Peh Gong and most likely worshipped by quarry workers for
protection. The secondary temple is dedicated to Tua Peh Gong and
the Goddess of Mercy, reflecting the role and importance of the
secondary temple in the community.
The lack of proper records made it difficult to date the time when the
temples were constructed. The temples have also undergone periods
of reconstructions and renovations which makes attempts to date the
construction of the temples even more difficult. A stele in the main
temple indicated that that temple was rebuilt in 1869, suggesting that
the temple may have been first constructed sometime in 1847 when
the first quarry was opened to quarry stone for the construction of the
Horseburgh Lighthouse.
Ubin-HSBC
Volunteer
Hub
The Ubin-HSBC Volunteer Hub houses a resource centre cum
volunteer lounge, and a seminar room. The one-stop resource centre
is stocked with reference and multimedia materials to facilitate
project and conservation research by schools and other
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organisations. The seminar room hosts talks, slide shows and
workshops for the public and volunteers.
Chek Jawa Chek Jawa Wetlands is located at the eastern end of Pulau Ubin. It is
Wetlands
3 km away from the public jetty at Pulau Ubin. To get to Chek Jawa,
visitors can hire a van or rent a bicycle from the main village. For the
more adventurous, a walk to Chek Jawa from the jetty would take
about 40 minutes.
Covering approximately 100 hectares in area, Chek Jawa is unique
in that several ecosystems can be seen in one area – sandy beach,
rocky beach, seagrass lagoon, coral rubble, mangroves and coastal
forest.
Pulau Ubin's value for biodiversity conservation is highlighted by the
recognition of a new plant species, named Utania nervosa. The
Utania nervosa was discovered at Chek Jawa in 1997, and was
previously called "Fagraea racemosa", having been confused with a
much more common tree species that is native from Indo-China
(Cambodia, South Vietnam) to Thailand, Sumatra and the Malay
Peninsula. This new species was published in the international
journal Plant Ecology and Evolution in July 2014, in effect becoming
Singapore's newest species! Utania nervosa is known only from a
very restricted area including southeast Johor and the Singapore
islands of Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong. Its known habitats in Johor
are marginal sites in degraded swampland.
To create greater access for the public to visit Chek Jawa, NParks
had put in place visitor facilities in July 2007. These include a visitor
centre with a viewing jetty, a boardwalk (Mangrove and Coastal
Loops) that is more than 1 km in length, and a 20 m viewing tower
called the Jejawi Tower. They will constitute part of a long-term
sustainable visitor management plan to protect the rich biodiversity
there. Visitors can now conduct their own DIY tour along the
boardwalks to appreciate the rich biodiversity at Chek Jawa seven
days a week, between 8:30am and 6.00pm. Limited guided tours on
the intertidal areas are conducted by NParks and can be booked on
the NParks website at www.nparks.gov.sg.
Amenities at Chek Jawa Wetlands

Visitor Centre (House No. 1)
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Located at the entrance of Chek Jawa, the visitor centre was
converted from a Tudor-style house built in the 1930s. Fondly known
as House No. 1 (its postal address in Ubin), the building was
awarded conservation status by the Urban Redevelopment Authority
(URA) in December 2003, and was carefully restored.
One of the unique features of the house is its original fireplace, which
is probably the only one left in Singapore. The fireplace is no longer
in use and is closed off as a family of Pouched Tomb bats currently
reside in the chimney of the house. Another rare species of Malayan
False Vampire bats can also be found in an old water tower just
beside the house. The water tower and the bats were not disturbed,
and a new water tank was constructed for use instead.
The HSBC Gallery on the ground level of the visitor centre houses
information panels and interpretive displays that depict the history
and beauty of the natural heritage in Chek Jawa.

Boardwalk and Jejawi Tower
From the visitor centre, visitors would be able to access two routes,
the Coastal Loop (600m) and Mangrove Loop (500m) boardwalk with
lookout platforms, a floating pontoon, and shelters. Educational
panels and directional signs have been installed along the boardwalk
to enhance visitors’ experience. Visitors would be able to complete
both routes in about one and a half hours.
Along the way, visitors will be able to climb the seven-storey high
(20m) Jejawi tower to view the tree canopy, or observe the
biodiversity, such as birdlife. The viewing tower is named after the
native tree (Malayan Banyan) that grows just beside the tower.
Aluminum was used in the design and construction of the railings of
the boardwalk, jetty, and viewing tower for its durability and ability to
withstand harsh natural conditions at Chek Jawa.
Sustainable Architecture
The new amenities at Chek Jawa were developed with minimal
impact on the environment. The use of environmentally friendly
features in the design of the new amenities earned the Chek Jawa
Wetlands development the Green Mark Gold Award. This includes
the use of energy efficient lights, motion sensor lights, and solar
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powered battery cells. The design of the visitor centre also made use
of natural ventilation and daylight.
Map of Pulau Ubin
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For more information, please contact:
MND
Izzah Amalina
Communications Manager
DID: 69087214
Mobile: 91517491
Email: [email protected]
NParks
Cassandra Lew
Communications Manager
DID: 64717909
Mobile: 98235156
Email: [email protected]
URA
Humphrey Sew
Communications Exec Manager
DID: 63218129
Mobile: 97333479
Email: [email protected]
NHB
Soo Ming Jie
Communications Manager
DID: 63324419
Email: [email protected]
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