SANDAKAN HERITAGE

Visiting Sandakan can be an exhilarating thrill. There is so much to see and do. A reason for you to get hold of this amazing tour is so that you do not miss out on all that Sandakan, Sabah has to offer.

Among the gorgeous sites that are on the list from the Puu Jih Shih Buddhist Temple to the St. Michael’s and All Angels Church and Agnes Keith House. Sim Sim Water Village and Sandakan War Memorial Park are also on the list.

Puu Jih Shih Buddhist Temple
A Buddhist temple built in 1987 and the largest Chinese temple in the town. This temple has been one of the famous and must-visit places in Sandakan due to its religious significance. Allow yourself to step into the temple and witness its charming interior – with the blaze of red and gold with writhing dragons and golden Buddha statues.

St. Michael’s and All Angels Church
St Michael’s is one of the very few buildings in all of Sabah to be made of stone. With its Gothic style architecture, it looks as if it has been transplanted from an English village. The construction of the church, which took almost 20 years to complete, was begun in 1893, using ironwood, brick, and then stone.

During the wartime bombing of Sandakan, the church caught fire and only the stone walls remained. The church was rebuilt and today remains one of Sandakan’s most attractive monuments. The beautiful stain glass windows in the church are a more recent addition, donated by Australians as a memorial to Australian and British POWs, and as a thanksgiving to the courageous people of Sabah who helped them.

Agnes Keith House
Agnes Keith’s House in Sandakan is one of the highlights of the tour. Agnes Newton Keith wrote her famous three-part autobiography, “The Land Below The Wind”, “Three Came Home” and “White Man Returns” about her experiences in Sandakan and the house plays a big role in her tales.

The original house was destroyed during the war but was one of the first permanent timber structures to be rebuilt in 1947. It is now a museum and is a fascinating place to visit for anyone who is familiar with her books.

Sim Sim Water Village
Kampung Buli Sim Sim, a water village on stilts on the coast of Sandakan reachable by plank walkways, depicts the lives of some of the local fishermen families in neat wooden houses and their daily activities. This is also the site of the original town of Sandakan, Sabah which began in 1879.

There are a few seafood restaurants located in Buli Sim Sim water village. One of which was initially a fish market which was later expanded to include a floating seafood restaurant. Locals flock here to purchase fresh seafood once the fishermen dock at the jetty as they are cheaper than in the city’s wet market. Choose from an array of a selection of seafood and request the chef to cook it in the way you want.

Don’t forget to take your pick and bring home some preserved dried foodstuffs such as raw salted fish, deep-fried fish maw, dried anchovies, and dried fish chips snack as souvenirs for your friends and families that can only be found in Sandakan, Sabah!

Sandakan War Memorial Park
This memorial is to commemorate a tragedy and atrocity which struck Sandakan in World War II, 1945. Approximately 2,400 Australian and British prisoners of war (POW) who were held by the Japanese in the Sandakan POW camp and forced to take part in the Death March in North Borneo died. Some 1,400 Australians and British soldiers lost their lives during the 3 death marches from Sandakan to Ranau. Those ailing servicemen had to walk a 250 km trail through the rugged Borneo jungle interior in dire health conditions.

Sandakan Memorial Park is situated about 11 km outside of Sandakan, the former site of the notorious World War II POW camp now located in the suburb of Taman Rimba. The Park is well maintained and beautifully landscaped, which makes it ideal for solitary soul-searching strolls. The park also includes a small museum that serves as a memorial to POWs. The memory of World War II is emphasized by the rusting remains of an excavator and a generator and a boiler which still lie in their original positions near the steps leading up to a small Commemorative Pavilion.

A pilgrimage to Sandakan Memorial to commemorate fallen ancestors and civilians is made a norm annually by retired servicemen and family members. This is a must-visit for history enthusiasts