Perak The Guide | Batu Gajah

Ipoh

Batu Gajah

Kampar

Kuala Kangsar

The town of Batu Gajah is renowned for its tin mining long before Malaysia gained her independence. It was an ideal place during those periods for Chinese immigrants to stay and work. A large Indian community of Tamils and also Punjabis are in the Indian Settlement village at Changkat.

Kellie’s Castle

Kellie’s Castle also known as Kellie’s Follie is an unfinished ruined mansion built by a Scottish planter named William Kellie-Smith. According to different stories, it was either a gift to his wife or home to his son. Kellie’s Castle is located beside the Raya River (Sungai Raya), which is a small creek on the Kinta River. Apart from being haunted, it is believed that the castle has hidden rooms and secret underground tunnels. The road leading to the castle follows the contours of the land in a dizzying, maze-like fashion, adding to the mystery and romance of the place.

Location:
Kellie's Castle, Batu 5, Jalan Gopeng, 31000 Batu Gajah, Perak
Phone:
+605-365 3381

Tanjung Tualang Tin Dredge

Tanjung Tualang Tin Dredge No.5 or TT5 is a rare remnant of Malaysia’s tin mining industry. It weighs 4,500 tons and is backed by a pontoon 75 metre long, 35 metres wide and 3 metres deep. The dredge was designed in England in 1938 by F.W.Payne & Son and was built for Southern Malayan Tin Dredging Ltd. a company established in 1926 that worked another 5 dredges in the Batu Gajah and Tanjung Tualang regions.

TT5 was operating for 44 years until 1982 when the Malaysian tin industry was rapidly declining due to depleted tin reserves, low tin prices and high operating costs. The dredge fell on hard times after 1982. The other dredges in the area had been disposed of long before, and this last standing example was at risk of being sold off for its high metal scrap value before the ‘Save the Dredge’ movement was initiated by heritage-loving individuals.

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Location:
9th KM, Jln Tanjung Tualang, 31000 Batu Gajah
Phone:
+6014-904 3255