Muara, Brunei
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Muara is a town in the Brunei and Muara district, Brunei. It contains the country's only deep-water port. Muara is the Malay word for estuary.
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[edit] Location
Muara Town or Pekan Muara is located in Mukim Serasa and is located on the easternmost tip of West Brunei. It lends its name to the district which it is in, the Brunei-Muara district. To the North is the South China Sea , to the south the Brunei Bay and across the bay, Pulau Muara Besar. To the east, across a man-made channel is the remains of Tanjung Pelumpong (Cape Pelumpong), now an island. To the west is is the rest of the Brunei-Muara district. Serasa lies to the south-west of Muara.
For the purpose of this article, Muara includes the area from Kampong Sabun to the channel at Tanjung Pelumpong north of Serasa.
[edit] History
A part of the town was founded and settled as Brooketon by Charles Brooke, the White Rajahs of Sarawak to mine coal for steamships at the turn of the 20th century. It was named after the White Rajahs of Sarawak. The coal mine was leased to Charles Brooke between 1888 and 1924 and it was operated by the Sarawak government.
The Japanese occupied Brunei during Second World War and attempted unsuccessfully to reopen the coal mine. Brooketon was the landing location where the Australian forces during the Second World War which liberated Brunei from Japanese rule. All that remains of the mine today is an overgrown railway, locomotives, mine entrances and an abandoned Morris Minor. Brooketon was also where the first postage stamp in Brunei was used.
Under the rule of His Majesty the late Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin in the 1950s and 1960s, the area was developed into a deepwater port to assist in the development of the country.
[edit] Kampongs
Pekan Muara can generally be further divided into the following areas:
- Town Centre
- Kampong Masjid Lama to the south of the Town Centre
- Kampong Sabun to the west and north-west, including the military barracks
- Muara Beach and the area towards Tanjung Pelumpong
- Muara Port
[edit] Oil and Gas
Part of the deepwater port of Muara is occupied by two Shell facilities.
Brunei Shell Marketing has a large presence in Muara Port with a large site. There are numerous bottled gas containers on the site an a number of tanks holding various products including bitumen. Brunei Shell Petroleum has a yard along Muara Port to support their offshore operations offshore in Brunei.
[edit] Tourist attractions
The main attraction of Pekan Muara is Muara beach (Pantai Muara in Malay) along South China Sea.
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Road
Jalan Muara is the main road that passes through Pekan Muara. It originates in Mukim Berakas near the Brunei International Airport and terminates at the artificial channel at Tanjong Pelumpong. It connects Muara town to Bandar Seri Begawan.
Jalan Serasa and Jalan Persuahan branches off from Jalan Muara and connects Muara with the neighbouring community of Serasa. It enables the items manufactured in the Serasa Industrial area to be transported to Muara Port for export.
The Muara-Tutong Highway (now renamed the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Highway or the Lebuhraya Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah) starts at a roundabout on Jalan Muara between Kampong Sungai Kebun and Kampong Meragang. It connects Muara to Jerudong and Tutong.
Muara is served by the purple buses of the Eastern Line. Route numbers 33, 37, 38 and 39 connect Muara with Serasa and the rest of the country.
To take public transportation to Bandar Seri Begawan, one either has to hire a taxi, or take the bus to Seria town and from there, the connecting bus into the capital city.
[edit] Rail
There are no railways or light rail in Muara. A railway line used to connect the Brooketon Colliery to what is now Muara Port to transport the coal being mined for use on the steamships.
[edit] Ports
The only deepwater port of Brunei is located in Muara. Muara Port was opened for commercial operations in February 1973, and commissioned as the Ports Department on 1st. May 1974. The Ports Department took over the whole management and operations of all the Ports on 1st.January 1986, form the Royal Customs and Excise Department.
The Muara Container Terminal was operated by the PSA International until 1st April 2007, when it reverted back to the Brunei Government. It had one container berth with a quay length of 250m and a max draft of 12.5m.
[edit] Air
There are no airports in Kuala Belait. Commercial travellers would have to travel to either Bandar Seri Begawan or Labuan (from Serasa) to catch a commercial flight.
