Top Things to do in Batu Gajah
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6 Things to do in Batu Gajah That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in Batu Gajah, Malaysia including Saint Joseph Catholic Church, Kellie's Castle, Tanjung Tualang Tin Dredge No. 5 (TT5), Batu Gajah Court House, Batu Gajah Christian Cemetery, Batu Gajah Christian Cemetery.
1. Saint Joseph Catholic Church
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
2. Kellie's Castle
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 358 reviews
Reviewed By BobBobGolden - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
An old building left behind by the British. Nice to walk around and inside to feel the spirit. Better go in a rainly day.
3. Tanjung Tualang Tin Dredge No. 5 (TT5)
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 55 reviews
Tanjung Tualang Tin Dredge No.5 or TT5, the last tin dredge in Malaysia. Tin rush in Perak began from 1848 in Taiping. Perak became the wealthiest state in Malaya. Its capital Ipoh was fondly known to many as “The City of Millionaires”. In January 1913, Malayan Tin Dredging (MTD) introduced the first dredge in Batu Gajah. Due to declined tin price, operations started to shut down and ‘floating factories’ were dismantled or sold off. Today, there is only one remaining tin dredge known as TT5. It was built in England by F.W. Payne & Sons in 1938, upgraded in 1963 and had continued its operation for 44 years until August 1982. Located about 40-minute drive from Ipoh, TT5 is now fully open for visitors to experience TT5 Guided Dredge Tour, panning and self tour inside the gallery and the magnificent view of the landscape. TT5 has been proclaimed as part of the Kinta Valley National Geopark since October 2018, hence a ‘must visit’ tin mining heritage site in Malaysia.
Reviewed By Gaby186338 - London, United Kingdom
This was one of the highlights of our Malaysia tour, both as a tourist and for personal reasons. This is a lovingly restored tin dredge about 28 kilometres outside Ipoh in beautiful and peaceful countryside. The organisers and volunteers are to be commended for their preservation work and informative guided tours. The tours run every hour and take about an hour. We had just missed a tour and so waited in the reception area that is air conditioned, where we watched footage of a tin dredge in operation [useful to watch before the tour], looked at old photographs and artefacts and learnt about the history of tin mining in the Kinta Valley. There is also a small café. The tour takes you onto the ground floor of the tin dredge and shows you how it worked, explaining the economic and social history of tin dredging in Malaysia. Sadly, the upper floor is not yet safe for the public and the dredge is not actually working, however you do get a very good insight into how it was constructed and operated. After the tour you can wander at leisure around the lake on which the dredge is sited and also enjoy the tranquillity of the area and the varied bird life. [We saw our first Horn-bills actually on the dredge]. There is also a reconstructed “river” where you can try your hand at dulang washing [tin ore panning]. This was a personal visit for me as my father worked on a tin dredge in Malaysia in the 1950s. I didn’t know where and what his job was [and sadly can’t ask him as he died over 30 years ago]. However the staff were keen to help me and from a handful of very old photos I brought along, were able to confirm that that he worked in this area [they could tell from the registration plates of his car]; and identified the type of dredge he worked on [TT1]. An older member of staff recognised a building in the photographs as only a few kilometres away. I was mystified as to what role my father undertook as I knew that the “hard” labour was likely to be undertaken by Malay and Chinese workers and that as a working class/semi-skilled engineer he would not have had a managerial role. The guide helped solve this problem by explaining that the dredges were built in England and shipped to Malaya [as it was then] in pieces and that English engineers came over to build them onsite and maintained them. Although this is not on the usual tourist route for Western travellers [indeed we were the only Westerners on the tour], I would strongly recommend that you visit this important and really interesting heritage site. There are plans to redevelop the site with housing, restaurants etc. Whilst this will no doubt help the local economy, I am glad I visited whilst it is still a low key and peaceful site.
4. Batu Gajah Court House
5. Batu Gajah Christian Cemetery
6. Batu Gajah Christian Cemetery
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1 reviews
