CY@CY Says Welcome to my dreamscape. Where a Lim is also a Ling.
It has been many years since I last visited Canada Hill. I decided to make a photo-taking trip there this morning and ended up spending almost two hours there.
Canada Hill is a low limestone ridge overlooking Miri City and it offers a panoramic view of the city and the South China Sea. It is a popular place for strolls, jogging and jungle trekking and in the evening, you can watch beautiful sunsets.
Canada Hill, also known as Bukit Telaga Minyak to the locals, is where the first oil well was drilled and become the birthplace of Sarawak’s and Malaysia’s petroleum industry. The Miri Well No. 1, known as the “Grand Old Lady”, was where Sarawak Shell first struck oil in 1910. Miraculously, the oil well was spared from the bombings and other attacks of World War II.
This oil well is no longer production and it has been declared a protected historical site by the Sarawak Government. On Monday, October 1st, 1973, in a simple ceremony on top of Canada Hill, Miri, Sarawak Shell Berhad handed Malaysia’s first oil well over to the State Government, to be henceforth an official monument. This became the historic Well Number One. There is an observatory platform where visitors can have an excellent view of Miri City.
Figures at the base of the Grand Old Lady depict the drilling process by workers in the early days of the oil industry.
Next to the Grand Old Lady is a model of a nodding donkey, the overground drive for a submersible pump in a borehole used to raise crude oil from oil wells. There used to be a lot of these nodding donkeys in Miri when oil was extracted onshore but all of them had been phased out when oil extraction shifted offshore.
Murals depicting events from the discovery of the petroleum to the closure of the Grand Old Lady can be found at the base of the Grand Old Lady and the walls leading to the nodding donkey.
Appropriately, the Petroleum Museum was built just next to the Grand Old Lady on Canada Hill. The museum traces the history and technological development of the oil & gas industries in Malaysia. The well-designed museum was supposed to feature interactive exhibits but from the online reviews that I have read, most of these exhibits are no longer functioning and tourists are giving the museum a bashing for its rundown exhibits. The authorities should look into this and resolve the problems or else the museum runs the risks of becoming a white elephant in future.
Situated next to the Petroleum Museum is the Hazard Bistro offering food and beverages. It is a good place to chill out and enjoy the panoramic views of the city at night. But do watch out for mozzies!
Behind the Petroleum Museum there are some seats where you can rest and relax. There are a few spots where you can get a good view of the city. Unfortunately, a lot of Mirians are giving Miri a bad reputation by their indiscriminate littering. I have read tourist reviews online commenting on the littering on Canada Hill. Their comments are fully justified as I saw a lot of rubbish lying around. C’mon Mirians, we can do better than that. Have pride in Miri and stop littering!
The museum is surrounded by beautiful garden and pathways but it is a pity that I failed to see flowers. A little bird caught my attention and I managed to take a few photos of it.
As I explored the area, I saw two hiking trails but they don’t look very safe especially on rainy days when the ground is wet. I heard that the sports coach of a secondary school died when he slipped and fell while trekking on one of the trekking trails here many years ago. But for those who love jungle trekking, these trails offer good opportunities for some adventurous trekking.
From a few spots, you can catch a great view of Lopeng area.
I have been wondering how Canada Hill got its name. From my online search, I came across this explanation. In the early days of the oil industry in Miri, there was a Canadian who lived on the hill and his main business was to recruit foreign and local workers to work in the oil fields on the hill. I guess he must be a manpower supplier and that was how Canada Hill got its name.
The sky was cloudy when I went up the hill at about 7.40am, driving carefully along the winding road. I thought it was going to be a not-so-hot day but by 9am, the sun had emerged from the clouds and the weather started to get hotter. I was starting to get drenched in sweat. And soon sweat trickling down my forehead was causing discomfort to my eyes. I knew it was time to say goodbye to Canada Hill.