Pelumpong Spit ( ms, Tanjong Pelumpong) is the easternmost point in the

Brunei-Muara Brunei-Muara District ( ms, Daerah Brunei dan Muara; Jawi: برونائی-موارا ضلع) or simply Brunei-Muara is one of the four districts of Brunei. It has the smallest area among the four districts, with , yet is the most populous, wi ...

district of

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 ...

. Despite its name being labeled as a spit, it is now an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

due to the artificially constructed 50m-wide,Off the beaten path, Brunei and Muara
- retrieved 28-05-2008 10m-deep Muara cut, which separated the spit from the mainland to provide access to

Muara Port The Muara Port ( ms, Pelabuhan Muara), also known as Muara Harbour, is a seaport operated by the Muara Port Company (MPC) Sdn Bhd, under the supervision of the Maritime and Port Authority of Brunei Darussalam. The port also contributed to the ...

.Ports Department, Muara Port Facilities
- retrieved 28-05-2008

Location and Geography

Tanjong Pelumpong is located between the

Brunei Bay Brunei Bay ( ms, Teluk Brunei) is on the northwestern coast of Borneo island, in Brunei and Malaysia. Brunei Bay is located 5°00'43.44", 115°17'26.66"; east of Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It is the ocean gateway to the isolated Temburong Dis ...

to the south and the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

to the north. Administratively, it is part of

Mukim Serasa Mukim Serasa is a mukim in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. The population was 16,173 in 2016. The mukim encompasses Muara Town, home to Muara Port, the country's only deepwater port. Geography Mukim Serasa is the north-easternmost mukim in ...

of the

district of

and is separated from the mainland to the west by the 50m-wide,Poscode of the Brunei-Muara district
10m-deep Muara cut. This channel is protected at each side by breakwaters which extend seawards towards the northeast.
- retrieved 28-05-2007 The northern coast of Tanjong Pelumpong consists of the white sandy beach similar to that of

Muara Beach Muara Beach ( ms, Pantai Muara) is a beach in Muara, Mukim Serasa, Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. The beach used to be stretched up to Pelumpong Spit, before they were cut apart in order to make way for easy access to Muara Port in the 1960s. ...

. This is because it was a continuation of the latter until the Muara Cut divided it into two. There is however, a series of beach protection structures constructed here to prevent soil erosion. The island is forested with pine trees. The island is inhabited and is only accessible by boat.

History

The history of Tanjong Pelumpong is closely related to the history of

Brooketon Muara Town ( ms, Pekan Muara) or simply Muara is a port town in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, about from the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population of the town proper was 2,102 in 2016. It is home to Muara Port, the country's primary dee ...

and Muara. The whole area, including Tanjong Pelumpong, was leased to Charles Brooke, the White Rajah of Sarawak by 1889. Politically too, even though he only had economic rights, Brooke became the de facto ruler of the area. It was not until 1921 that Muara was "returned" to Brunei. The Japanese occupied Brunei during

Second World War 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 ...

, and Tanjong Pelumpong was in 1945 one of the landing location of the Australian forces during the

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 ...

which liberated Brunei from the

Imperial Japanese The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

. The Muara Cut was initiated in the 1960s to provide access to

. This was done by excavating and then dredging a 10m channel at the narrowest point of Tanjong Pelumpong which converted Tanjong Pelumpong from a spit to an island. A minke whale was beached on the island in 2003.20-foot whale stranded near Muara
, Borneo Bulletin 12-05-2003 - retrieved 28-05-2007 There are plans to further deepen the Muara cut to a depth of 16m in order to facilitate the expansion of

Pulau Muara Besar Muara Besar Island ( ms, Pulau Muara Besar, Abbrev: ') is an island in Mukim Serasa, Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. The island is essential for the Brunei–China relations due to its part in the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. It can be no ...

. The dredged sand will be used for land reclamation on Pulau Muara Besar for the proposed port construction and extension.

Activities

Tanjong Pelumpong and the Muara cut are used by the general public for recreational activities. The Muara cut is a popular spot for anglers and fishermen. The island itself has numerous pristine beaches and is a popular spot for picnicking. There are a number of fish farms in the sheltered area of the

between Tanjong Pelumpong (island) and

Muara Besar Island Muara Besar Island ( ms, Pulau Muara Besar, Abbrev: ') is an island in Mukim Serasa, Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. The island is essential for the Brunei–China relations due to its part in the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. It can be no ...

. Due to its remoteness, the island is also used for other illicit activities such as smuggling.Suspected pusher charged in court
Brudirect 05-11-2000 - retrieved 28-05-2007

Notes

{{reflist, 2 Islands of Brunei