Singapore, in its 51st year of independence is sold to the world as an ultra modern metropolis and a shopping and culinary paradise. It is the icons of the new age, such as the futuristic looking Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands, that now leap out from our tourist brochures and a common perception of Singapore is that it is one huge shopping mall. There is however much more to Singapore that goes practically unnoticed, including these 51 sights of Singapore that one would possibly not associate immediately with Singapore:
(1) The woods at Upper Peirce Reservoir.
(2) Terumbu Semakau, a patch reef off Pulau Semakau, in the moonlight.
(3) Pulau Jong, the last untouched southern island, seen at low-tide.
(4) The green housing area of the former Naval Base at Sembawang.
(5) The ‘spinning tops’ off Tampines Road.
(6) The gateway into a lost world at the former Kampong Tengah in Sembawang.
(7) The secret lake at Bukit Gombak (the disused Seng Chew Granite quarry).
(8) The light at the end of the tunnel to a lost world under Clementi Road.
(9) The western reaches of the lost railway.
(10) Tanjong Merawang, Tuas, with a view towards Malaysia and Indonesia.
(11) The pier at Sungei Pandan.
(12) The mangrove forest at Sungei Khatib Bongsu.
(13) The flats of Beting Bronok, a designated nature area off Pulau Tekong, seen at first light.
(14) A sandbar at the Terembu Pandan with a view to the container terminal at Pasir Panjang.
(15) A tributary of Sungei Kranji, near the Jalan Gemala nature area.
(16) A view across Terembu Pempang Laut, a submerged reef four nautical miles from Singapore’s southern coast.
(17) The last Malay kampung at Pulau Ubin.
(18) The petrochemical complex on Pulau Ular as seen from Beting Pempang (the silhouettes in the foreground are of trees on Pulau Hantu).
(19) The intertidal flats of Pulau Semakau.
(20) The greens of the Bukit Course as seen from the western shores of MacRitchie Reservoir.
(21) The kampong mosque, Masjid Omar Salmah, at the site of the former Kampong Jantai.
(22) The magical (and some say haunted) Jalan Mempurong.
(23) The western shores of MacRitchie Reservoir.
(24) A stream at the former Lorong Halus landfill, close to where Kampong Beremban once was.
(25) A pre-war outpost on southern slopes of Pasir Panjang (Kent) Ridge.
(26) A trough belonging to the demolished Syonan Jinja Shinto shrine in the MacRithcie forest.
(27) The wooded oasis found at the grounds of the former Bidadari Muslim Cemetery.
(28) The sand store at the construction aggregates receiving terminal at Pulau Punggol Timor.
(29) A view through the woods at Little Guilin.
(30) Mangroves at Pulau Hantu.
(31) One sister to another – across the channel between the two Sisters Islands.
(32) The swimming lagoon on Big Sisters Island.
(33) The last rural sundry shop, Tee Seng Store. It has been in the hands of its proprietor, Mr Ang, for some six decades.
(34) The illuminated towers of the petrochemical complex at Pulau Ular dwarfing the observer at the edge of the fringing reef at Pulau Hantu Besar.
(35) A newly established Hindu shrine behind the Wei To Temple on Pulau Ubin.
(36) A Tibetan Buddhist shrine at the Wei To Temple on Pulau Ubin.
(37) A below ground shelter and storage complex at a 1930s 9.2″ gun battery.
(38) The view up a deep escape shaft of a pre-war Command Bunker located some 20 metres underground.
(39) Exposed parts of the Jurong Rock Formation seen on Pulau Jong.
(40) The violin, Pulau Biola a.k.a. Rabbit Island close to the southern reaches of Singapore’s territorial waters.
(41) The cliff faces of Tanjong Tajam at the western end of Pulau Ubin.
(42) A sandbar at the Cyrene Reefs.
(43) The calm before the storm – Lower Seletar Reservoir.
(44) Light and shadow – Sembawang Shipyard and the Beaulieu Jetty.
(45) Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery
(46) MacRitchie Reservoir near the Syonan Jinja.
(47) Remnants of the Jurong Line near Clementi.
(48) Another of MacRitchie Reservoir.
(49) The Straits of Johor at Sembawang.
(50) Masjid Petempatan Melayu at Sembawang and its 6 decade old rubber tree.
(51) Changi Beach.
The Long and Winding Road 
Thanks Jerome for the compilation and sharing ! #11 didn’t know about it at all.
Thanks for visiting! Glad to share them. The river where #11 is has a few more surprises! 🙂
Hi Jerome, can I know where is no. 6? Is it near no. 50?
In no. 46, are those concrete slabs also used to be a bridge to Syonan Jinja?
Yes, no. 6 is close to no. 50. In the case of no. 46 – the concrete structure did not belong to the so-called Divine Bridge to the jinja. That was constructed of wood (see first image below). All that is left of it are some wooden stumps that can be seen when the water level is low enough (see second image).
[The Torii Gate at the bottom of the stairway leading up to the Syonan Jinja as seen in 1943 with the Divine Bridge in the background (source: Mainichi Newspapers Company)]
I know where is no. 50 and passed there several times but never knew where no. 6 is.
Can you tell me how to get to no. 6?
By the way, I was the one who ‘tumpang’ your car to Fort Serapong.
Oh, didn’t realise that! How have you been? No. 6 is northeast of no. 50 in the direction of the sea.
I just realised I posted the same question in your post https://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/the-gateway-into-the-lost-world/
But I think I did not subscribed to the post and so did not know when you replied. I went 3 days ago and found it. Didn’t realised it was that near there even though I passed by the mosque many times.
Anyway, thanks and see you tomorrow.
#6 is nearby, a stone’s throw from #50.
#6 was the gate to one of the bungelows; thrre was a row of 3 units facing the sea. The driveway to the gate is via Jalan Mempurong #22.
Thanks for sharing Jerome.
Thanks for dropping by Sawitre Rai 🙂
Hi Jerome, thanks so much for compiling and posting these. They are fantastic. I know or have been to a few of them but the rest are really eye-opening.
Hi Susheel, most happy to do so! Thanks for the kind feedback and for dropping by 🙂
Great pictures, many thanks!
Would be nice to be able to enlarge them for details.
Thanks! Some are already in my Flickr album. 🙂
Singapore has so many beautiful natural places, and I didn’t know what. Thank you for digging them out. Maybe u could try 360 x 180 degree panorama photo taking?
There are many more places to capture! Thanks for the suggestion – that is a thought! 🙂
Lovely lovely photos. So many places where I haven’t been!
Thanks keropokman … you need to get away from all that food! 🙂
Nice shots and composition!
Thanks! 🙂
Thanks for sharing Jerome. Nice shot
Thanks for visiting! 🙂
Jerome, I’m so glad that you shared these wonderful photos and places to be explored in Spore and neighbouring islands. During my last visit home in October, I only visited the greenlands and they are so refreshing for me to rediscover our homeland as it was instead of just commercial centres! Since my return to France, I spoke only of these places for the french to visit as and when they are next in Singapore. Do you sell your photos as postcards? If yes, where can my friends buy them for me?
Kind regards
Diana
Thanks Diana! Sadly, we do not take enough notice of the beauty that is already there in Singapore. Glad that you have taken the time to rediscover that part of Singapore. I don’t sell the photos as postcards at the moment – but that is a thought! 🙂
The picture no. 22 reminds me of not too long ago ….
Haha, yes, not too long ago … and the place is still as magical today. 🙂
No.8 reminds me to Dream theater’s cover album
I googled that … yes it certainly does! 🙂
Thanks a lot Jerome. Brings back fond memories of my Scouting and army days.
Thanks for dropping by Silvakandiah. I am happy the photos bring those memories back for you. 🙂
Thank you, lovely picture,some memories.
Thanks Juliana. Glad that you find some memories in them 🙂
Amazing photos, thanks for sharing! I used to grow up looking at #44 when I was taken to Sembawang Park nearly every other day.
Thanks Jonathan 🙂 #44 was where I spent many a night casting nets for crabs back in the 1970s and 1980s … brings back many wonderful memories for me.
Hi may I know where #37 & #38 is?
#37 and #38 are at Mount Serapong.
Wow so many interesting places that are not on the map.
Would be nice if you can make a Google Map to mark all these places 🙂
Otherwise, I’m really curious to know where is No. 37 and 38, whether they’re still accessible
#37 and #38 are at Mount Serapong, the escape shaft is in an area that is now locked up.
Thank you sharing these photos. I will be visiting Singapore soon and would like to visit some of the places you’ve featured. In particular Sungei Pandan (11) and perhaps Pasir Panjang(25). Could you please tell me how would i get there?
You will have to kayak to get that view of (11) and (25) is only accessible during this walk (held annually):
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/battle-of-pasir-panjang-commemorative-walk-2016-tickets-15371203684
Beautiful shots! This visit of mine here is accidental but I am glad I found this page. Real eye opener. Being local, some of the places in these pictures are never heard of.
Thanks Thila, We’ve forgotten how beautiful Singapore can be.
Thanks Jerome for the fascinating and beautiful shots. Memories of scout and army days!
I love the pics and I have never been to any except MacRitchie and have no idea how to locate all the others 😦
No one will believe its Singapore though!
Thanks Jerome for sharing this. This is the first time I am hearing of some of these places.
Thanks Jerome for continually posting such lovely photos of Singapore. Some provide wonderful Memories for me……particularly in this group Changi Beach where we often went on Sundays with my parents. I think I might have mentioned this before….Alec, Carol and Heather McRitchie, descendants of James McRitchie live along the shore from me in NW Donegal Ireland. Small world!!
Wow. Small world indeed!
Thanks for the many beautiful reminders of my days growing up in Singapore in the late 50s to the 70s…when there was a beach at Pasir Panjang -albeit it a rocky one – an no container port….and SJI’s cross country races took place at the MacRitchie reservoir. My only regret is that I didn’t get to visit most of the places your photos show.
Glad to know that you are reminded of that old, mostly forgotten, but beautiful Singapore. 🙂
I wouldn’t call #26 a ‘trough’. It was an important feature at all Japanese shrines. It’s known as a Chōzuya. You purify yourself by ritually cleansing your hands and mouth before entering the shrine. This was done here outside the main shrine at this feature which would have pure running water.
The 3 round things at each corner of the Chōzuya are supports for the wooden pillars of the outdoor shed.
As a former resident of Pasir Panjang, which I left in 1970 to return to the UK, I regret not having seen many of the beautiful places featured in this collection of photos while I was in Singapore. Thanks for the memories of the places I knew!