Kuala Lipis

Kuala Lipis was the capital of Pahang from 1898 until 1955, chosen for the gold in the district and the river junction, and when the administration moved to Kuantan the town simply stopped growing - which is why the colonial layer is still legible: the district office, the courthouse, the Clifford School, the rest house and the residency bungalows on the hill above, with a grid of prewar shophouses below and the railway station on the jungle line running through. The line, the East Coast Railway from Gemas to Tumpat, is the reason many travellers pass through, and Lipis is the standard base for Kenong Rimba Park upriver. There is a Sunday night market, a small museum in the old district office, and not much else, which is the appeal for people who like quiet towns.

History

Kuala Lipis was a gold-mining centre before the British arrived in 1887, and in 1898 it became the capital of Pahang in the Federated Malay States, when the district offices, the Clifford School and the Pahang Club were built (Wikipedia, Kuala Lipis).

What's there

• A stalled colonial capital - administrative buildings left from 1898 to 1955.
• Hill residency bungalows - the officers' houses above the town.
• Prewar shophouse grid - the commercial streets below the hill.
• The jungle railway - the Gemas to Tumpat line stopping in the town.

When to go

All year; Sunday for the night market. A day.

Good to know

Several heritage buildings are closed or in poor repair and viewed from outside. There is little organised for visitors and limited accommodation. Train times on the jungle line are awkward.

Nearby

Kenong Rimba Park is upriver; Taman Negara is east.

Key facts