Jubilee Walk – A History and Heritage Walkabout in Singapore

Going for a walkabout in any city, town or country is one of the best (interesting and fun too!) ways to enjoy the views of the city, to learn the history, heritage and culture of the country and its people. A walkabout is suitable for both locals and international visitors alike, a meaningful and experiential experience for all.

Singapore celebrated her Golden Jubilee year in 2015, with lots of festivities and celebrations throughout the year. During the year 2015, Singaporeans started to learn and know more about her rich history, heritage, culture and society that goes further back and beyond the first 50 years of independence in 1965, to the days when she was a thriving port and trading hub during her Colonial days.

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While Singapore’s history may not be as long as compared to others, she does have her own unique stories to tell and share that she went through to reach her status today. By embarking on the Jubilee Walk, you can walk and go through the flow of time to learn, experience and see Singapore’s heritage from her Temasek era to Colonial era, nationhood, modernisation and metamorphosis into the modern urban city today. Over a distance of 8km, the Jubilee Walkers would be able to see and feel the experiences of history, heritage, culture and society of Singapore. It’s like walking through a warp time zone, from the past to the present and into the future, starting from the National Museum of Singapore, ending at the Marina Barrage.

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I went for a Jubilee Walk Guided Tour (5km distance) with fellow photographer, social media and heritage friends recently. The starting/meeting point is the National Museum of Singapore and the end point is Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. Our guide, Marcus Ng, is very experienced and friendly, sharing a lot about the various history and heritage stories during the Jubilee Walk Guided Tour.

Here’s a short summary of the locations that we walked to during the Guided Tour ~

National Museum of Singapore -> Fort Canning Park -> Peranakan Museum -> Singapore Philatelic Museum and National Archives of Singapore -> Armenian Apostolic Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator -> Central Fire Station -> Old Hill Street Police Station -> The Singapore River -> Asian Civilisations Museum.

Along the Jubilee Walk route, you are able to find interesting artefacts, artworks, historical monuments, landmarks etc. Here are some of the photographs that I took during the Jubilee Walk Guided Tour, keep a lookout for them! Due to our eager and enthusaistic participation and interaction with our guide Marcus, our walking pace slowed down and we had to end the Guided Tour at Asian Civilisations Musuem due to time constraints. Thank you National Heritage Board for organising the Jubilee Walk Guided Tour!

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Nevertheless, I am planning to continue from where we left off from the Guided Tour and do my own second half Jubilee Walk walkabout on my own or with my fellow photographer and heritage friends.

The Jubilee Walk is suitable for both locals and international visitors, you can also download the maps and app into your smartphone or tablet and you are good to go ahead with your Jubilee Walk walkabout! I have prepared some tips (with some help from the friendly folks at National Heritage Board) for the Jubilee Walkers who would like to go on their own Jubilee Walk walkabout.

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Tips for Jubilee Walkers

  • Wear comfortable clothes and shoes
  • Bring water along the Jubilee Walk
  • Bring along an umbrella or raincoat (just a precaution)
  • Bring along your hat and wear it
  • Start your walk from the late afternoon (e.g. 4pm) when it is not too hot and you can reach Marina Bay/Gardens By The Bay/Marina Barrage around 7pm (depending on your walking pace) to enjoy the Singapore sunset view
  • Get hold of the Jubilee Walk booklet or download the Time Walk app and maps into your smartphone or tablet
  • Don’t carry too heavy and too many things during the walk
  • Keep a lookout for the SG50 markers along the Jubilee Walk route
  • Enjoy and have fun! Take more photographs and share them on social media with the following hashtags #JubileewalkSG, #Funwithheritage, #jubileewalkSGguidedtours
  • If you can’t finish the walk in one sesssion (due to time constraints or bad weather), don’t fret, you can always come back on another day to continue with your Jubilee Walk from the last point where you left off

Useful links

If you like to join a Jubilee Walk Guided Tour, check out this link on the Guided Tour dates and availability.

Have a good walkabout on the Jubilee Walk in Singapore! Enjoy and have fun walkabout into Singapore’s history and heritage from the past, to the present and into the future!


Created with flickr slideshow.

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