Kluang

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Kluang is in the center of the Malaysian state of Johor.It geographically located at 110km north from Johor Bahru, east-southeast of Batu Pahat, west of Mersing and south of Segamat. This district is the only district that does not have a sea front, as it was surrounded by all other districts namely, Johor Bahru, Pontian, Batu Pahat, Segamat, Mersing and Kota Tinggi, except Muar district.

The name Kluang derives from the Malay word 'keluang' which means a type of flying fox or rather a type of fruit bat. They have almost completely disappeared due to the combination of hunting and destruction of their natural habitat deforestation. Some people believed that Kluang was named after two mountains that resemble the head and wing respectively of a bat from a distance.

Kluang was founded in 1915, to serve as the administrative center for Central Johor. A railway line linking north to south Malaya was built passing through Kluang to provide the communication link to transport labor and tropical produces from Kluang and this helped in its growth since 1915. Roads were built to link Kluang to Johor Bahru towards the south, to Batu Pahat towards the north-west and to Mersing towards the east. Kluang is divided into two district councils namely Simpang Renggam District Council (Majlis Daerah Simpang Renggam) based at the town of Simpang Renggam and Kluang Municipal Council ( Majlis Perbandaran Kluang) based at the town of Kluang which is also the district capital. This district grew rapidly in 1920 and 1930 as a major rubber-producing district.

In its early days, Kluang as an entirely agricultural economy, it is an agriculture hub of Johor, rubber and oil palm are the major crops, with the establishment of Institute Pertanian it has benefited the agricultural sector of Kluang. Now it has the biggest dragon fruit orchard, organic vegetables farm, organic rice farm, pineapples and tea plantation. Kluang is also famous of being the main producer of ceramic pottery and tiles, with pottery factories located at the boarder township of Machap. The most renowned tiles manufacturers MML (Malayan Mosaic), Kyocera and Claytan all located at Kluang Industrial area. Kluang has also developed various industries including polymer, porcelain, paper, textiles and electrical products. It grew rapidly from agriculture sector to industrial sector in late 1970. The dynamic change was after the completion of BCB Plaza and Prime City Hotel, the first mega shopping mall in Kluang was founded in 1996. The increasing commercial activities have brought major bank and stock brokerages house to set up branches in Kluang.

With the tremendous growth of economy, Kluang was upgraded from the status of District to City on 31 January 2001. The first Kluang specialist was founded in year 2000, it provided the much-needed medical facility for Kluang residents. The most sought after shopping mall with the combination of entertainment, food, leisure and shopping, "Kluang Parade" was completed in February 2007. It is currently the 2nd biggest shopping mall in Kluang and it has become the premier shopping areas in Kluang. It is located at Jalan Sentul, in the heart of busiest business golden triangle. The streets and surrounding buildings has actually given a facelift as well. Kluang has become a vibrant city with all the entertainment and branded goods a modern city should have.

Geography Kluang is located in the middle of the state of Johor in Malaysia. It geographically located at 110km north from Johor Bahru, east-southeast of Batu Pahat, west of Mersing and south of Segamat. The population of Kluang district now exceeds 250,000 residents and the town itself has over 140,000 residents. Its geographical coordinates are: 2°2' 01" N,103°19' 10" E.

The highest point in Kluang is Gunung Lambak, a 510m tall mountain and one of the southernmost mountains in the Malaysian main range which lies not far from the town of Kluang.

The Mengkibol River runs through the town and as well as the railway which is passes through Kluang town, basically cutting it in half.

Kluang can be accessed by rail and road as it links to all neighboring districts.

  • The rail service is provided by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTM) at Kluang Railway Station in the middle of Kluang town.
  • By road, travelers can enter through the North-South Expressway using Ayer Hitam exit.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By car

  • Jalan Batu Pahat
  • Jalan Mersing
  • Jalan Intan
  • Jalan Paus
  • Taman Indah Jaya

[edit] By bus

  • South Johore Bus
  • Cepat Express
  • Transnasional Express, tel. 607 7762698.
  • S&S Express, tel. 607 7728246.
  • Satria Express

[edit] By train

[edit] Get around

[edit][add listing] See

  • Gunung Lambak - This is the most popular mountain in Kluang where you can easily climb to the top in 2 hrs. There is a resort & playground at the foot of the mountain.
  • Zenxin Organic Park - This is an organic agriculture park with vegetable and dragon fruit plantation along the road to Air Hitam. The park provides different kinds of recreation activities such as walking and bicycle tours, educational tours, a park cafe, a farm mart, a flower nursery, a meeting room, a function hall and a viewing platform. Halal & Admission is free.
  • Gunung Belumut- Nice place for picnics and waterfalls.
  • Kahang Low Rise Tea Plantation- One of the non-hilly tea plantations.
  • Kluang Railway Station -In service since 1915. The railway passes through Kluang town, basically cutting it into two halves. Local residents once said that when the train approaches Kluang Railway station, the entire town stands still, as the main road into town temporarily closes for train to pass. The station itself withstood the test of time and should be of interest for those who have passion for nostalgic photographs.
  • Masjid Jamek Kluang - This old mosque is located at Jalan Sekolah, just beside Sekolah Tinggi Kluang. It is very popular among local Muslims for prayers as it can accommodate up to 1,000 people at any one time.
  • St. Louis Church - Located at the end of Jalan Omar, a few meters away from Kluang Railway Station, it was built in 1964 with its own unique architecture.
  • Little India - Jalan Stesen is the "Little India" of Kluang. It is lined with shops offering various merchandise catering to the needs and wants of the Indian community, especially sarees, herbs and spices, and also household items. There are also several Indian restaurants offering various Indian cuisines and local food as well as the local –favorite "Teh Tarik".
  • Old buildings at Jalan Lambak - Next to Jalan Ismail is Jalan Lambak. Nowadays, it is filled with modern businesses like Medan Johbase, but there is still a row of 8 buildings with marks indicating they were built in 1939. The shops' lion mask heads are arranged to face different directions that appear to symbolize specific beliefs of their owners.
  • Jalan Dato' Teoh Siew Khor used to be the central of Kluang, as the old market and shops were located here. Along the road there is Jubilee Intan Hall which was a historical event hall. It took the center stage of old Kluang. The most prestigious textile shop Nan Yuan Sdn Bhd is also located here.
  • Jalan Ismail is just located opposite Jalan Stesen. Just like Jalan Stesen, this street is another interesting street because it was occupied mainly by the Chinese traders in some sunset trades. One of them is shoe making. A couple of cobblers with basics equipment continue to produce shoes manually and customers can buy the ready-made shoes on display or request the cobblers to make a pair according to their specification.

[edit][add listing] Do

  • Splash at the colonial Army Base Swimming Pool. A public swimming pool is also available in Kluang Barat.

[edit][add listing] Buy

The top 10 best souvenirs for a visitor to bring back from Kluang are:

  • Kluang coffee powder
  • Dragon fruit
  • Dragon fruit wine
  • Tong Huat Cookies
  • Hand-made straw woven handbag from Air Hitam
  • Traditional crackers or "Keropok"
  • Dried fruits
  • Ceramic pottery like flower vases and jewelery boxes
  • Crystal glass flowers from Air Hitam
  • Pickled fruits and vegetables.

Of course, there are a few shopping malls visitors should not miss:

  • Kluang Parade - Newly opened shopping center in February 2007. MBO Cinema, Karaoke and Bowling Arcade.
  • Plaza BCB, linked with Prime City Hotel. It is just beside the central bus station (Kompleks Perhentian Bas dan Teksi), easy access to bus, taxi and railway.
  • The Store, Giant Supermarket and YC Superstore. In order to cover different area of consumers, there are two of "The Store", one is situated at Plaza BCB and the other one is beside Anika Hotel at Jalan Dato Rauf. Giant Supermarkets are located at Taman Intan, Taman Sri Kluang & Kluang Parade. YC Superstore is a local family mart, located at Jalan Dato Hj Hassan.
  • The business center of Kluang town stretches from Jalan Mohd Lazim to Jalan Dato Hj Hassan. It is also the commercial and finance area of Kluang. Food and beverage outlets situated around here are McDonald, KFC and Pizza Hut. There are textile and fashion shops like NY Fashion and Nan Yuan 2000. May Bank, OCBC Bank, Bank Islam, CIMB Bank and Bank Muamalat also can be found at this area along with several insurance agencies, electrical shops, eyewear and shoes outlets.
  • Mansor Toko Batik sells a lot of Malay traditional and Muslim equipment such as batiks, songkoks, kain pelikat, mantras and much more. Just 5 minutes walk from Kluang's bus station and just 10 the railway station. Restaurants, cafés, a Muslim prayer hall, and the wooden-antique Kluang Bridge built across the Mengkibol River.
  • Nan Yuan Sdn Bhd, Jalan Dato. Visitors should not miss this famous shop as they can find some fine textile, curtains and fashion to take home.

[edit] Pasar malam

For light, casual shopping, there are roadside stalls, bazaars and night markets around Kluang. A weekly attraction is the colorful, bustling night market or Pasar Malam, found in most neighborhoods on certain days of the week, which stock a bewildering variety of goods, local food and fruits at low prices. Some bazaars sell only agricultural produce and are called Pasar Tani (Farmer's Market). It is fun to visit Kluang Pasar Malam, all kinds of local food and agriculture produce are available here. Pasar Malams are operating at different areas and time;

  • Taman Muhibah on Sunday
  • Taman Lian Seng on Sunday
  • Kampung Melayu on Monday Evening 4.00pm onward
  • Kampung Melayu on Monday Morning 7.00am onward (Pasar Tani)
  • Kampung Paya on Wednesday
  • Taman Desa on Saturday
  • Taman Kluang Barat on Tuesday

[edit] Photo

  • Kedai Gambar Express Hawaii, 6,Jalan Intan 2/2,Taman Intan, tel. 607-7744149. This shop provides digital photo service and studio photos with the newest Konica Minolta digital photo processing system.

[edit][add listing] Eat

  • Old Taste - New experience in Kluang Parade, good taste !
  • Coffeetalk - New.
  • Rail Coffee - New outlet.
  • PKH Kopi Shop - Try the dry beef stomach.
  • Kluang Baru - Try botak mee curry.
  • Lian Seng Garden on the road leading to Niyor. Yuan Ji beef stomach.
  • Kluang Railway Station Coffee Shop - Not only famous for serving roasted coffee, but also their hot toasted bread with home-made kaya or butter and half boiled eggs as well. They also serve other dishes like nasi lemak. Opens daily from 6.30am to 12.30 noon and from 2.30pm to 6.00pm. Closed on Thursdays and lunch is not served here.
  • Honeyland, located at Jalan Lambak. Serves Nyonya Kuih, local snacks and cakes. Patrons are pampered with many choices of puffs, deep fried fritters and traditional Chinese Ang Ku Kuih. The café is packed with patrons during high-tea hour.
  • Yong Tau Fu, at the corner of Jalan Haji Manan. Serves the best Yong Tau Fu in Kluang. It is famous for its fish balls, bean curd, eggplant, bitter gourd, bean curd sheet and chili with fish paste as filling for all their ingredients.
  • Yean Kee Beef Noodles - The owner doesn't compromise on the soup and hand made rice noodles. The beef is tender and the soup is tasty, clear and without MSG. The beef noodles are served in two styles, dry or soup. What makes it so special is the added peanut, lime and the chili sauce; it just complements well with all the ingredients.
  • Rong Seri Restaurant - This is one of the new attractions in Kluang. First established on 2003, it serves the best northern Thai food in town. Specialities include Chiang Mai seafood tom yam, fried fish in Rong Seri's Sauce and Thai stir-fried chicken. It is only 15km away from the Ayer Hitam exit off North-South Expressway. Located at No.2, Jalan Cempedak off Jalan Haji Manan, Lian Seng Garden. It is open daily from 6:00pm to 12:30am.
  • Kluang Rest House - It serves a variety of Western and Chinese style cooking. The place is quite nice located at a hill side comprising government offices.
  • Heidi Restaurant - The best Western cuisine in Kluang. Located at the road heading to Gunung Lambak or Kota Tinggi.
  • Long Wei Kopitiam, just near to Chong Hwa. The yong tau fu and hand made pork balls are a must try.

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit][add listing] Sleep

  • Ailang Hotel, 3, Jalan Manggis, tel. 60 7 772 3355, fax 60 7 772 3525, email: ailanghotel@hotmail.com New hotel with reasonably priced clean air-conditioned rooms. Lots of eateries nearby.
  • Tong Siang Hotel, 17-19, Jalan Dato Haji Hassan, tel. 60 7 772 2072. A simple and basic hotel. Popular with backpacking travellers.

[edit] Splurge

  • Prime City Hotel, 20, Jalan Bakawali, tel. 60 7 771 1111, fax : 60-7-773 9111, email: info@primecity.com, [2].
  • Hotel Anika, 1-3 & 5, Jalan Dato' Rauf, tel. 60 7 772 4977, fax: 60 7 772 5870, email: anika@tm.net.my.

[edit] Get out

  • Endau Rompin National Park
  • Gunung Berumut
  • Mersing

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