What No One Tell You About Pulau Ubin
Pulau Ubin has always been dubbed as the unearthly island whereby time seem to have stopped. With its impressive diversity of wildlife and greenery, coupled with the rustic kampong huts that oozes of rich 60’s vibes, it is no wonder that thousands of locals and tourists alike are constantly being charmed by the bucolic beauty of Pulau Ubin. The WanderCat team has thus decided to put together a list of 5 things you did not know about Pulau Ubin’s history, to further emphasise and praise the beauty of this ageless island!
1. Important Bird Area
Did you know that Pulau Ubin is a tropical paradise that supports thousands of residing and visiting birds each year? In fact, many threatened species can be sighted on this wildlife paradise, roaming and soaring around the azure blue skies freely. Due to this, Pulau Ubin has been identified by the BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area, and extensive efforts have been put in to protect the wildlife here.
The songbird, Straw-headed Bulbul is an endangered species which can be spotted with its melodious call reverberating throughout Pulau Ubin!
2. Legend Of Pulau Ubin
With such a beautiful and mystical island like Pulau Ubin, how could she not have an equally enticing legend behind her origins? Legend has it that the frog, pig and elephant, raced each other from Singapore to see who would reach the shore of Johor first. Those who do not make it to shore will be turned into stone. Unfortunately, all 3 animals failed, and thus the frog became Pulau Seduku (Frog Island) and the pig and elephant turned into Pulau Ubin together.
Pulau Seduku is just a stone throw away from Pulau Ubin!
3. Granite Mining
During the mid 1800s, Pulau Ubin was the hotspot for granite quarrying. Large batches of Chinese migrants arrived at Pulau Ubin and at a point of time, granite quarrying was such a prosperous industry at Pulau Ubin that over 10 private quarries opened at the same time. The granite from Pulau Ubin were then used for the construction of the Causeway, Fort Canning etc. Currently, all granite quarries have unfortunately ceased operation on the island.
4. Secret Societies
Though Pulau Ubin is now known for its tranquillity, the island however had went through rough times in the past with severe social instability. As a significant number of Chinese migrants that arrived on the shores of Pulau Ubin were members of Chinese secret societies, it unfortunately attracted many of their enemies onto the island too. Furthermore, each secret society were vying to become the “head” of the island, which fuelled the frequent clashes seen on the island.
5. German Girl’s Shrine
The German Girl’s Shrine is a mysterious yet holy instalment in a small yellow hut on Pulau Ubin. Legend has it that during an attempt to escape the British before WW1, a German girl fell off the cliff into a quarry. Years later, locals then took her remains and her silver crucifix and placed it in an urn in the shrine as a mark of respect. Though these items were being stolen by vandals years later, many visitors still visit the shrine regularly as they believe a prayer at the shrine will bring about good luck!
