Kundasang is a

hill station A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia (particularly in India), but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges ...

in the district of

Ranau 'Ranau'' ( ms, Pekan Ranau) is the capital of the Ranau District in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 8,970 in 2010. Climate Ranau has a tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest cl ...

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

that lies along the bank of

Kundasang Valley Kundasang Valley ( ms, Lembah Kundasang) is a valley where the Kundasang town is located in Sabah, Malaysia, primarily in the highlands of Sabah southeast side of Mount Kinabalu. Environment The valley were known to be located at the intersec ...

within the

Crocker Range Crocker Range ( ms, Banjaran Crocker) is a mountain range in West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia that separates the west and east coast of Sabah. At an average height of , it is the highest mountain range in the state with the range is named ...

, and also neighboring the town of Pekan Nabalu. It is located about 6 kilometres away from

Kinabalu National Park Kinabalu Park ( ms, Taman Kinabalu), established as one of the first national parks of Malaysia in 1964, is Malaysia's first World Heritage Site designated by UNESCO in December 2000 for its "outstanding universal values" and the role as one of ...

, 12 kilometres from Ranau town and is renowned for its vegetable market which is open seven days a week. It is the closest town to

Mount Kinabalu Mount Kinabalu ( ms, Gunung Kinabalu, Dusun language, Dusun: ''Gayo Ngaran or Nulu Nabalu'') is the highest mountain in Borneo and Malaysia. With an elevation of , it is List of islands by highest point, third-highest peak of an island on Eart ...

and has a panoramic view of the mountain. It is populated mainly by the native

Dusun Dusun is the collective name of a tribe or ethnic and linguistic group in the Malaysian state of Sabah of North Borneo. Collectively, they form the largest ethnic group in Sabah. Dusun has been recognised as among the indigenous community of ...

and a small population of

Chinese people The Chinese people or simply Chinese, are people or ethnic groups identified with China, usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or other affiliation. Chinese people are known as Zhongguoren () or as Huaren () by speakers of s ...

. Almost all the shops are operated by locals. At an elevation of almost 1,900 m (6,200 ft), it is the highest settlement in Malaysia. Kundasang is also famously known as the New Zealand of Borneo for its unique mountainous geographical terrain almost similar to New Zealand.

Kundasang War Memorial and Gardens

The memorial is on a hill immediately behind the vegetable wholesale stalls. Major G. S. Carter, D.S.O. (Toby Carter) a New Zealander employed with Shell Oil Co. (Borneo) initiated the building of the Memorial in 1962, together with the launching of

Kinabalu Park Kinabalu Park ( ms, Taman Kinabalu), established as one of the first national parks of Malaysia in 1964, is Malaysia's first World Heritage Site designated by UNESCO in December 2000 for its "outstanding universal values" and the role as one of ...

to commemorate the 2,428 Australian and British prisoners who died during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

at the

Sandakan POW Camp The Sandakan camp, also known as Sandakan POW Camp ( Malay: Kem Tawanan Perang Sandakan), was a prisoner-of-war camp established during World War II by the Japanese in Sandakan in the Malaysian state of Sabah. This site has gained notoriety as t ...

, and the casualties of the three infamous forced death marches from

Sandakan Sandakan (, Jawi: , ) formerly known at various times as Elopura, is the capital of the Sandakan District in Sabah, Malaysia. It is the second largest city in Sabah after Kota Kinabalu. It is located on the Sandakan Peninsula and east coast of ...

. It also serves as a tribute to the many local people who risked their lives while aiding the prisoners of war. Only six Australians survived in this tragedy to tell their horror and there were no English survivors. The fort-like Memorial was designed by J.C. Robinson, a local architect. It has four interlocking but separate gardens to represent the homelands of those who died: an Australian Garden, a formal English Garden of roses, a Borneo Garden with wild flowers of Kinabalu and at the top level is the 'Contemplation Garden' with a reflection pool and pergola. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of

, the Memorial was restored in 2005 by Mr Sevee Charuruks and with his own personal funds. No government funding was available during the major restoration project in 2005. However, years later help came from the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

in the form of several grants. The Australian Government Grants aided in: * The building of a perimeter fence around the Memorial. The Estimated grant: RM$120,000 * The building of the Australian Memorial Hall to enable visitors to view WW2 Documentary Films. The Estimated grant: RM$350,000 * The Demolishment & Re-construction of concrete wall of Contemplation Garden. The Estimated grant: RM$120,000 * The Construction of Confrontation Memorial. The Estimated grant: RM$14,000 In recognition of his hard work and commitment to the Kundasang War Memorial, in 2007 Queen Elizabeth II awarded Mr Charuruks the MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire). Later in 2012, the Australian Government awarded Mr Charuruks the Member of the Order of Australia (AM). The Gardens have been replanted with flowers, particularly roses and rare orchids that include the ''

Paphiopedilum rothschildianum ''Paphiopedilum rothschildianum'', it is commonly known as the Gold of Kinabalu orchid or Rothschild's slipper orchid, is a large sized clear-leafed species of orchid. It blooms with a tall inflorescence with up to six, large flowers. It is uniqu ...

'' (Rothschild's slipper orchid). The Memorial is open to all visitors not only to view the gardens but to remember those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of others. ANZAC Memorial Services and private Memorial Services are welcomed with prior arrangements. The Memorial is open to visitors with minimal entrance fees charged. An access road with ramp allows easy access for wheelchair users.

Vegetable wholesale stalls

Beside the main road vegetables wholesalers can be found in a long row of wooden stalls (

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

: ''gerai''). Bulk buyers come from all over the state of

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...

and even

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

for the fresh harvest. Pick up trucks are seen laden fully with harvest from the farms nearby the valley and delivered to the stalls. Passing tourists and travellers also stop by the road for shopping at a good bargain with the stalls are open seven days a week.

Golf course

The Kundasang golf course is located near the border of Kinabalu National Park at an altitude of approximately 2000 metres above sea level.

External links

*
Kundasang Town

Places of Interest (Chinese)
{{Authority control Towns in Sabah