Many people have explored Chinatown, Kampong Gelam and Joo Chiat. But few would have heard of Balestier Road, much less know it as a heritage trail. 

 Singaporeans know it as a place to shop for lighting and bathroom equipment and tiling materials as well as good food.  However, it also has an eclectic mix of traditional shops such as old style bakeries, a coffee bean/powder shop and karaoke lounges and night clubs of a bygone era.

 Few people know it has a rich history with links to the first American Consul to Singapore and Dr. Sun Yat Sen the Chinese revolution leader. It is also home to one of the earliest Malay film studios and various Chinese and Buddhist temples including one with a permanent wayang (opera) stage, 

 Another interesting feature is the architecture of the buildings – ranging from art deco to flamboyantly decorated shop-houses and modern condominiums.

Join Explore Singapore! on this heritage walk and discover another facet of Singapore and its history.  

Due to Covid 19, no guests are allowed.

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In this part of the world Eurasians are the descendants of inter-racial marriages since the 16th century between European (mainly Portuguese) men and local women. The Portuguese ruled Malacca for 130 years and left a legacy from these mixed marriages.  When the British returned Malacca to the Dutch and set up an alternative trading post in Singapore, many Eurasians left Malacca to become pioneer settlers of modern Singapore. Although Eurasians have a distinct identity much of it has been diluted over the years so the Eurasian Heritage Gallery was set up to preserve its legacy. Kristang (the language of Portuguese Eurasians) is currently enjoying a revival. 

Join us on a guided tour of the Eurasian Heritage Gallery (after a recent makeover ) and find out more about the history and culture of the Eurasians, their experience of World War II in the Bahau Settlement in Malaya, their contribution, and Eurasian cuisine. Lunch will be a sampling of traditional dishes such as Devil Chicken Curry. 

As a well-known historian put it, cultural hybridity is not ‘half and half’ but ‘double.

Due to Covid -19, no guests are allowed.

Did you know that Singapore once had a dairy farm producing high quality fresh milk from Friesian cows? It was such an oddity, being in the tropics, that it became known worldwide. The farm was in one of Singapore’s oldest nature reserves – the present Dairy Farm Nature Park at the foot of Bukit TimahHill. The area (was) is well known for another reason. It was here, that the famous British naturalist, Alfred Wallace, a contemporary of Charles Darwin, also acknowledged as the other father of the theory of evolution, discovered many newbird and insect species.

Join Explore Singapore! on a journey through Singapore’s natural history. Our guide will highlight the interesting flora and fauna of Dairy Farm Nature Park and the history of the area through artefacts from the past. You will also learn about Wallace’s work in Singapore – he raised his concern about deforestation and the need for nature conservation way back in the mid- 1850s, making him a pioneer in this field. We will also visit the newly set up community nursery for propagating and nurturing endangered native plants.

Due to COVID 19, no guests are allowed.

Want to find out more about our programmes? Click here to download a PDF .