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 in
Sabah,
Malaysia that lies along the bank of
Kundasang Valley within the
Crocker Range, and also neighboring the town of
Pekan Nabalu
Nabalu ( en: ''Nabalu Town'') or better known as Pekan Nabalu is a small town that is the main focus of visitors to see Mount Kinabalu in its entirety. The variety of restaurants and the fresh weather, also the view that shows Mount Kinabalu as a ...
. It is located about 6 kilometres away from
Kinabalu National Park, 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 and has a panoramic view of the mountain. It is populated mainly by the native
Dusun 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
Major Gordon Senior 'Toby' Carter DSO (20 April 1910 – 1988) was a New Zealand surveyor and road engineer who worked in Sarawak, Borneo prior to World War II for Shell Oil. He enlisted with the British Army during the war, and served in the ...
, 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 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 ...
, and the casualties of the three
infamous forced death marches from
Sandakan to
Ranau. 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
World War II, 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 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: ''gerai''). Bulk buyers come from all over the state of
Sabah,
Sarawak and even
Brunei 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