19 heritage trails have been collated by the National Heritage Board, (beginning 1999) … snapshots of the island’s history and geography. For those inclined to explore, this is a short overview on what’s out there.

 

Queenstown : Easy : 6 hours ++

Some stairs / about 26,300 steps in total if you visit all 40 points

Highlights :

  • Masjids : Hang Jebat Mosque.
  • Temple : Tiong Ghee Temple & Sri Muneeswaran Temple.
  • Church : Church of the Blessed Sacrament
  • Areas : Colonial terraces @ Jalan Hang Jebat, Wessex Estate (a leafy area, home to black-and-white colonial bungalows).
  • Residential : First HDB blocks, HDB terraces, HDB’s first point blocks, ‘Butterfly Block’ (one of HDB’s first curved blocks), Singapore Improvement Trust flats, VIP Block.
  • Queenstown Public Library, Alexandra Hospital, former Malaysian Railways (the Green Corridor), Tanglin Halt Neighbourhood Centre (slated for redevelopment, and home to the famous Chef Hainanese Western Food Stall, open 7.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. and closed on Thursdays), Shuang Long Shan Wu Shu Ancestral Hall, Ridout Tea Garden (Singapore’s first Japanese-themed community garden) and Commonwealth Crescent Neighbourhood Centre.

Singapore’s first satellite town, Queenstown offers 5 mini trails covering charming old sundry shops to examples of early public housing. Plenty of good hawker food to relish – check out Mei Ling Market & Food Centre and Alexandra Village Food Centre.

 

Jurong : Easy : Will take a day, at least, to cover all 25 points

Bus it where possible / pick your points of interest and craft your own route

Highlights :

  • Markets : Taman Jurong Market & Food Centre and Boon Lay Place Market & Food Village.
  • Temples : Tuas Pek Kong Temple.
  • How Kwang Pottery Jungle (home to a dragon kiln).
  • Jurong Bird Park.
  • Jurong Hill.
  • Science Centre.
  • Jurong Town Hall (a national monument).
  • Old Jurong line Railway Bridge.

Parks, eateries, places of worship, pottery kilns and classes, sweeping views of the industrial area, a 7 storey spiral lookout tower (near the Bird Park) … Jurong has it all. 

 

  • Dress comfortably (and for the weather), and carry sunscreen and an umbrella.
  • Be mindful about dress and photography in the areas you visit, especially religious sites.

 

The content of this post is derived from the 6 December 2020 article in The Straits Times.