Pulau Batu Ubin is Malay word for granite stone island. Granite rocks from Pulau Ubin were used in the construction of Horsburgh Lighthouse on the island of Pedra Branca in 1850.
For those searching for info on Horsburgh Lighthouse. It is built on a tiny rock island and public is not allowed on shore although fishing is allowed around the island. The trip there by boat takes about 4 hrs and only intrepid anglers go there. Currents there is treacherous as ships have sunk there.
Large granite outcrops can be seen especially at low tides when visitors step on the jetty on arrival.
Further down at the Jetty’s entrance, next to Ali’s coffee shop, one can still see drill marks on a huge chunk of granite.
A gnarled tamarind tree grew on top of the granite. It still fruits twice a year. As a little boy during the Japanese occupation, Ali would climb the tamarind tree for its tarty tasting fruit, helping to stave hunger when food were scarce then.
Despite its history, Nparks is unwilling to designate it as a heritage tree and afford it with lightning protection due to its weak foundations.
Further evidence of early granite quarrying where steam drilling were used can be seen as one walks east from the jetty to Nparks secret garden. The ‘cliffs’ there are not natural cliffs formation but hewn granite with drill marks still showing.
Before that, an old Japanese guard post stood, entombed by a shady banyan tree.
On top of the ‘cliffs’ one can hear wild jungle fowls and lively bird singing and they fight for their mates attention. I wondered what is the view like up there, will it yield a panaromic view of the village. I hope to be able to find out.
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Tags: banyan, granite formation, Horsburgh lighthouse, Nparks secret garden, Pedra Branca, Pulau Ubin history, tamarind tree, Ubin jetty
