21 October 2024

Life along the banks
of the Sarawak River
and river crossings
at sunset in Kuching

Sunset and evening lights on the Sarawak River in Kuching (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Patrick Comerford

Kuching is the gateway to Sarawak and the oldest and largest city in the state. It has a reputation as the most laid-back and relaxed city in Malaysia, and it enjoys a picturesque setting by the banks of the Sarawak River.

The Sarawak River is an important source of water and in the past as a means of transport for the people of Kuching and this part of Sarawak. There are popular river cruises for tourists and visitors, and the river is home to many water-related sports and activities, including the annual Sarawak Regatta.

Kuching Waterfront, which lines the south bank of the Sarawak River, is the place to sample the cosmopolitan life of the city. The Waterfront stretches for about 1 km, from Jalan Gambier in the west, by the ‘Floating Mosque’, the Darul Hana Bridge, the Square Tower and the Old Courthouse, the Charles Brooke Memorial, the former Sarawak Steamship Building, an open-air theatre, the Chinese History Museum and the James Brooke Bistro.

The waterfront seems to peter out to the east eventually near the Grand Margherita Hotel.

Along the way, there are food stalls, street vendors, and jetties offering boat cruises and river crossings. As you walk along the waterfront, there are views across the river of the Astana, the official residence of the Governor of Sarawak, the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building, and Fort Margherita, built on the north side of the river in 1879 in the style of an English castle by Charles Brooke, the second Rajah of Sarawak.

The best time to enjoy the Waterfront is at sunset, as the sky changes colours and the reflections on the water are at their most vibrant.

When night falls, life along the Esplanade is vibrant and the Waterfront becomes a social hub for local people of all ages, with something for everyone to do. There are food stalls, restaurants, buskers and entertainment facilities all along the way.

Modern additions to the Waterfront include a restored Chinese pavilion, colourful musical fountains, an open-air theatre and a number of modern sculptures.

The Darul Hana Bridge over the Sarawak River in Kuching and the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Jambatan Darul Hana, or Darul Hana Bridge, connects both riverbanks. The Darul Hana Bridge is the latest addition to the waterfront, and is the only pedestrian bridge in Kuching that connects both sides of the Sarawak River.

The bridge is designed in an S-shape, and is a curved bridge with two masts, inclined in opposite directions, symbolising the balance of cultures living together. Steel towers topped with stylised hornbills pay tribute to the emblem of Sarawak. Several resting areas invite strollers to enjoy the panoramic view over the river and the cool river breeze.

At many of the jetties, cruise boats offer hour-long and 90-minute journeys along the river, offering views of the sights on both riverbanks.

Life on the Sarawak River in Kuching at sunset (Patrick Comerford, 2024)

One evening, instead of a river cruise though, we took a sampan (tambang) or traditional flat-bottomed boat across the river for a fraction of the price to Kampung Boyan, a traditional Malay village on the north bank of the river.

Nearby, Petra Jaya was founded as a suburb in the 1970s by Sarawak’s chief minister at that time, Abdul Rahman Ya’kub, who had a vision to develop the jungles and old rubber plantations beside Fort Margharita as the new satellite township to the north of Kuching.

Through their traditional skills and strength, it is said, the sampan boatmen take more than 1,000 people across the river each day, and they ply their boats until late in the evening.

We took another sampan back across the river, and strolled a little more along the waterfront, and then through India Street, Carpenter Street and the Main Bazaar, before returning to the Marian lodging house, where we have been staying for the past week.

The next time I cross the river at sunset, I must think of crossing by the Darul Hana Bridge, which stays open to pedestrians until midnight.

Crossing the Sarawak River at night in Kuching (Patrick Comerford, 2024)

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