Port Dickson (town)

Port Dickson, or PD to locals, is a coastal city and parliamentary constituency in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. It takes just over an hour by car to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Port Dickson along the North–South Expressway.

For the federal constituency represented in the Dewan Rakyat, see Port Dickson (federal constituency).
Port Dickson
Seal
Nickname(s): 
PD
Port Dickson
Location of Port Dickson in Peninsular Malaysia
Coordinates: 2°31′N 101°48′E
Country Malaysia
State Negeri Sembilan
Population
 (2015 [1])
 • Total119,300
Time zoneUTC+8 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)Not observed
Postcode
71xxx
WebsitePort Dickson Municipal Council
Map of Port Dickson

History

This small town used to produce charcoal and therefore was called Arang (Malay: "charcoal") - there used to be a carbon mine at the first mile of the coast road (hence named Jalan Pantai) - but it was later developed as a small port by the British during the Straits Settlement period. Port Dickson was also known as Tanjung (Malay: "cape"). The oldest shophouses were the four situated presently at Jalan Lama.

Historically what is today Port Dickson and nearby Lukut were part of Selangor. On 30 July 1880, a meeting was held in Singapore between Sultan Abdul Samad (then Sultan of Selangor), Raja Bot (the ruler of Lukut district), Dato' Kelana of Sungai Ujong as well as the British, in which Selangor cedes the district of Lukut to Sungai Ujong (which later became Negeri Sembilan).[2][3]

Tin ore was plentiful in Lukut, an area within the Port Dickson district, during the 1820s, and it attracted Chinese immigrant miners. The British considered the area to have great potential as a harbour. It was intended to supersede the port in Pengkalan Kempas. The in-charge officer's name was Dickson, and thereafter the town was named Port Dickson. Others claim that Sir John Frederick Dickson, colonial secretary,[4] a senior official of the Federated Malay States founded Port Dickson and Pulau Arang in 1889.[5]

Port Dickson evolved into a busy trading centre. Railways were constructed to facilitate the growth and development of Port Dickson. Although Port Dickson experienced rapid development, the beautiful beaches are fairly well preserved.

Port Dickson is also home to many army camps of the Malaysian Army such as Sebatang Karah, Segenting, Si Rusa and Sunggala.[6] In September 2009, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak declared Port Dickson as an "Army Town" in recognition of her role in the nation's military services.[7]

Economy

Oil and gas production

Port Dickson has two refineries which make significant contributions to the local economy. Shell Refining Company has been operating since 1962[8] while Petron (formerly ExxonMobil Malaysia) operates another refinery which began operation in 1963.[9]

Tourism

The 18 km long beach from Tanjung Gemuk to Tanjung Tuan is a popular holiday destination for local visitors, especially those who come from Kuala Lumpur. Many Singaporeans have invested in holiday homes in and around Port Dickson. Over the years, many hotels and resorts were opened to capitalize on the tourist draw. In the 1990s, Port Dickson boomed with new hotels and resorts being planned and constructed. Due to the Asian financial crisis of 1997 however, many of these projects stalled, leaving many unfinished buildings scattered along the Port Dickson coastline. While some of these half constructed resorts are still abandoned, with the improving economy of the 2000s many of the projects were eventually revived and completed.

SEGAR CITY

Lukut, a new township which is also part of the Port Dickson district. Overall, it has residential, shop units, shopping mall, hotels and tourism attractions.  Some of the famous attractions around here are Alive 3D Art gallery and Wild West Cowboy Indoor Amusement park, 5D cinema, Awake Horror Thrills, Skunk Show, Children Amusement. Almost all types of entertainment activities that can suit different group of people.In 2018, Tasik Villa International Resort[10], which includes a man-made lake, was launched and there is a music fountain show at 9pm daily. Beside that people who love jacuzzi can find it in some of its hotel rooms. This is one of the key differentiator it has comparing to the rest of the hotel. Then apart from that, guests can also get to enjoy their outdoor pool, nightclub, fitness facilities and outdoor facilities such as bicycle, electric scooter and  buggy car ride, If they want they can do a mini sailing or dinner in boat floating on the lake.  

P.D. Ostrich Show Farm

PD Ostrich Show Farm[11] is a good place to spend a few hours with the family in Port Dickson. Kids may love it because It is a farm with quite a number of animals besides ostrich. There are goats, donkeys, turkeys, various breeds of chicken, cattle, guinea fowl, ducks and ponies. Here, guests can pet an ostrich and even ride one if you are brave enough. There are plenty of other farmyard and domestic animals to see and many activities. For speed runners, occasionally there is a running competition for these guests to run and compete with ostriches that is able to run 43 miles per hour. Then, try stand on an ostrich eggs, see how it withstands your body weight.

Pusat Ikan Hiasan Port Dickson

This place, which is translated as Ornamental Fish Centre,[12] is definitely one of the top Port Dickson attractions in a secluded place. The centre is located at the northern end of Port Dickson’s Teluk Kemang beach. Run by the Department of Fisheries, it has numerous spotlessly clean aquariums and tanks containing baby turtles, living coral, variety types of fish and marine creatures on display here. The fish tanks are spotlessly clean as the sea water from the bay is pumped into the centre’s storage tanks for cleansing and treatment before it is being used in their aquariums tanks. The place may be small but it sure has lots of sea creatures to see. Furthermore, entrance is free.   

Extreme Park Port Dickson

This  is another place for mini outdoor extreme[13] activities such as go-karts, paint ball target shooting, archery target shooting, and all terrain vehicle (ATV) riding.

Sailing related

Linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the Straits of Malacca is the shortest sea route between three of the world's most populous countries - India, China, and Indonesia. Inspired by the sea trade, expats founded the Royal Port Dickson Yacht Club (RPDYC) in 1927, which still offers dinghy sailing courses and runs regattas. Unknown to most, Malaysia's developmental sailing teams, starting at the Optimist Dinghy level, train in and sail from the RPDYC to the Port Dickson Polytechnic.

The newer five-star Admiral Marina & Leisure Club has good dock facilities for yacht travelers, sailboats and luxury cruisers. It is a transit point for racing sailboats joining the Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta, Royal Langkawi International Regatta and Thailand's Phuket Kings Cup regattas. Admiral Marina also hosted the disabled sailing event of the 2009 ASEAN Para Games and the 2006 FESPIC Games.[14]

Commerce

As of 2016, there around eight shopping centres in the town that serve its population.

Dawn scenery of the Port Dickson coast

Politics

The town is represented in the Dewan Rakyat of the Malaysian Parliament as the Port Dickson (federal constituency). It is currently represented by Anwar Ibrahim of People's Justice Party (PKR).

In turn, Port Dickson contributes five seats to the Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly:

Lukut is currently held by Ean Yong Tin Sin of the Democratic Action Party (DAP); Chuah and Port Dickson are held by PKR, and the remaining two seats, Bagan Pinang and Linggi, are currently controlled by United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).[15]

Following a September 2016 re-delineation exercise, the Port Dickson name was used for the whole parliamentary constituency replacing Telok Kemang, while the boundaries remain unchanged.

Transportation

Car

Port Dickson is easily accessible from most major towns of peninsular Malaysia. The SPDH (operated by PLUS) or the old federal highway connects Port Dickson to Seremban, the state capital.

Highway runs through downtown Port Dickson and links it to Malacca and then Johor Bahru due south, or Kuala Langat, Klang or even Ipoh due north.

Public transportation

There is a 39 km-long branch line of the KTMB network linking Port Dickson to Seremban, but the line is currently disused since 2008. There were plans to reuse the line for freight and passenger services[16], but the rebuiling plans has not been materialised yet as of 2019.

See also

References
  1. Nurul Ain binti Majid (2016-06-13). "Data Sosioekonomi Negeri Sembilan Tahun 2015 – MAKLUMAT ASAS" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-11-05.
  2. "Lukut asalnya adalah kawasan Selangor". DUN N26 Bangi, Selangor. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  3. "Perjanjian Sempadan Negeri Selangor dan Sungai Ujung 1880". Wangsa Mahkota Selangor. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  4. Shaw, W.A. (1970). The Knights of England: A Complete Record from the Earliest Time to the Present Day of the Knights of All the Orders of Chivalry in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of Knights Bachelors. Incorporating a Complete List of Knights Bachelors Dubbed in Ireland. 1. Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 373. ISBN 9780806304434. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
  5. "John Frederick Dickson wiki - Google Search". google.com. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
  6. "Malaysia's own Fort Knox". New Straits Times. 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2012-06-16.
  7. PD now known as Army Town Archived 2009-10-01 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Shell Refinery Celebrates 50 Years With The Community - Shell Refining Company". Shell.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-11. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  9. "Petron Malaysia". Petron.com.my. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  10. "Frontpage Template". tasikvilla.com.my. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  11. "PD Ostrich & Pets Show Farm". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  12. "Pusat Ikan Hiasan Port Dickson". Malaysia Traveller. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  13. "Extreme Park Port Dickson | Attractions near Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson". Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  14. Inaugural sailing event in FESPIC Games held at Admiral Marina Archived 2007-07-05 at the Wayback Machine
  15. "Senarai ADUN Barisan Nasional". Barisan Nasional. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
  16. "Seremban-Port Dickson railway line to be rebuilt". The Star Online. Retrieved 2016-01-24.

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