KUCHING: The Merembeh Caving Park in Bau is expected to be opened in the middle of January next year, said Serembu assemblyman Miro Simuh.
He said the facilities there were still being developed, such as the Tourism Information Centre, trail and gazebo.
“This is a unique tourism product because there are two caves there that can be explored by visitors,” he said when met at a symposium on the 200-year history of gold mining in Bau district at Grand Margherita Hotel here today.
On the symposium, he said mining was a development catalyst which could bring about effects still seen today.
“Even though mining operations are no longer active, we see the effects left behind in the form of mining history and we can develop this as tourism,” he said.
“In my own area of Serembu, I can see the effect from mining activities is huge and there are still leftover effects,” he said.
He gave the example of Siniawan which came into existence as a satellite town to supply food and other facilities for miners in Bau.
“This town has been there for over 100 years and has high historical value. Now, we try to transform it into a tourism hub for Bau in two years’ time, whereby people can visit via river cruise or land,” said Miro.
He said the waterfront project would commence next week with the RM10 million allocation from Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said there were also other tourist attractions around such as the Gumbang Cultural Centre, Gurkha Army Communication Headquarters, Buddhist village at Tanjong Durian, Brooke Heritage Site at Kampung Peninjau, and more.
“We also have the Serembu Eco Park as an ecotourism spot for visitors to do hiking, camping, and so on. Then they can also visit the hotspring at Paku which we are developing with an allocations of RM500,000 this year to provide better facilities for visitors,” he said.
