Sembawang Hot Spring Park : Century-old hot spring
Sembawang Hot Spring Park
When people think of hot springs, they usually associate it with Taiwan and Japan. However, in this sunny merlion city (Singapore) , there is a natural hot spring that is more than a century old. It has undergone various transformations along the way and survived till this day. This place isnt a hot spring resort or bathing pools but it does make for a good day-trip to take foot baths and cook hot spring eggs.
History
The Sembawang Hot Spring has its history dating back to the early 1900s, way before Singapore became an independent country. In 1908, four hot springs were discovered in Seah Eng Keong’s pineapple estate in the Sembawang region. Eng Kong covered three of them in order to concentrate all the water flow through the fourth hot spring. At the same time, he sent a sample of the hot spring water to London for a thorough examination. The report came back with favourable results on the quality of the water thus Eng Kong decided to bottle the water through aeration and sell it under the ‘Zombun’ brand.
Eng Keong’s father was prominent Chinese elite Seah Lang Seah (who has a street in Singapore named after him). Liang Seah created a company named ‘Singapore Natural Mineral Water Hot Springs Company’ to continue the operations of ‘Zombun’ bottled water. The company was sold off in 1914 to another owner. In 1921, beverage firm Fraser and Neave (F&N) acquired the land and the company before setting up a bottling plant at nearby Semangat Ayer to bottle the spring water. The water was sold and distributed under the bran ‘Seletaris’.
A well was built alongside the spring and soon, word of the place spread among the local villagers. The villagers visited the spring and sought to use its water for its rumoured healing powers. They also washed their clothes, boiled eggs and de-feathered poultry at the spring. Eventually the village was named Kampong Ayer Pants which means ‘Village of Hot Water’ in Malay.
During World War II, a bomb fell near the well during an imperial Japanese air raid over Singapore in 1942, causing substantial damage and interrupting the flow of water in the hot spring. After Singapore fell to the Japanese, the imperial Japanese Army took control of the area and built several thermal baths for recreational usage by its military personnel.
In 1960, the hot spring became popular with gamblers, who would use the spring water to wipe their body for good luck prior to punting on horse races. The idea for developing the area into a hot spring tourist resort was floated but eventually shelved by F&N as the source of the spring could not be traced despite multiple attempts to do so. In 1967, F&N proposed plans for developing the area into a recreational area consisting of restaurants, mini golf course , bathhouse and a nature reserve. However, the plan did not materialise as well and the hot spring was left untouched. The water bottling plant was operational until the early 1990s.
In 1998, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) decided on the expansion of the nearby Sembawang Air base. As part of the expansion, the land containing the hot spring was acquired by Mindef, reducing F&N’s land area to less than 4 hectares.
In 2002, as the RSAF air base extension was ongoing, the hot spring garnered attention among the residents. Community leaders of Sembawang initiated a petition and collected signatures to request for a preservation of the hot spring for public usage. Mindef heeded the petition call and decided to open a small side gate path for the public to access the hot spring. However, as more people visited the hot spring, unfortunate scalding incidents also occurred. A serious incident involving a diabetic elderly losing six toes to gangrene after soaking in the hot spring water also prompted warnings that people with nerve disorders or diseases affecting blood circulation should be cautious to hot mineral springs. Due to the negative news and incidents, public interest dwindled and number of visitors plummeted.
The total visitor count for the hot spring goes up to 300 during its peak. On 1 March 2002, the area around the hot spring was boarded up for improvement works. The dirt path leading to the hot spring was replaced and paved with a cement road, coupled with bougainvillea bushes to its side. High fences were also built to improve the security of the air base which was situated next to the hot spring.
The upgrading works were completed and the hot spring reopened on 1 May 2002 with free daily public access from 7am to 7pm. The property arm of F&N acquired one of the nearby land parcels around Gambles avenue and built a freehold condominium called ‘Seletaris’, making reference to the company’s former mineral water brand.
In July 2005, a reader wrote into a newspaper urging authorities to explore the possibility of tapping the geothermal heat understand the area, similar to South Australia’s Cooper Basin, as an alternative source of energy. The authorities did not take up the suggestion.
In 2014, the hot spring well can still be seen inside a red-brick building with a steel gate. Frequent visitors donated chairs, pails and hand-sized tubs which are stored at the perimeter of the building, which has a makeshift shed by the side. While a person was tasked to maintain the cleanliness of the place, the downside is that there is no toilet in the area.
In 2016, Mindef decided to return the land on which the hot spring is located back to the state.
Subsequently, National Parks Board took over the place and redeveloped the area into a 1.1 hectare park to be known as Sembawang Hot Spring Park which officially opened on 4 Jan 2020
What to do
1) Cascading foot bath pool - take a foot bath here
2) Educational zone - learn about geology and the history of the hot spring
3) Floral Walk - Stroll down a path through nature lined with rambutan tree, lemongrass, banyan tree and elephant climber
4) Hot water collection and egg cooking station - bring your own bucket to soak your feet or cook eggs under the running spring water
Tips for egg cooking : Place the eggs in a container and put them under the running hot spring water through the tap at the cooking station. Keep them there for 20 mins - 30 mins. Bring extra eggs in case you dont get it right the first time.
Tips for foot bath : Water starts at 70°C at the top of the cascading pool and decreases with each lower level of the pool. If you like warmer temperatures, scoop the water from higher levels of the pool. It is best to start from the lowest level and let your feet get used to the temperature (at least 10 mins) before advancing to higher temperatures.
What to bring
Wear slippers
Buckets for collecting water
Mini tubs for scooping water
Eggs for cooking
Small container for holding the eggs under the running hot spring tap
Utensils & condiments such as pepper /soya sauce if you like to add to your eggs
Umbrella / Cap for shade
Cloth / towel for taking a warm wipe on your face
Dining options
Sembawang Eating House Seafood Cafe - Selling 'Zi Char' ( dishes cooked in a variety of ways)
Try these!
- Crispy Butter Prawns
- 7S Red Grouper
- Sambal Sotong (Squid)
- Steamed Winter Melon Soup
- Lobster Porridge
- Prawn and salted egg yolk fritters / Banana seafood fritters
- Coffee Chicken Wings
(they also offer rental of buckets if you forget to bring)
Travel to Yishun MRT and take bus 858 or 969 for 4 stops and alight at 'opp Blk 115B Yishun Ring Road' (Bus Stop 57121). Walk north for about 1 min and turn into Gambas Avenue. Walk along Gambas Avenue and you should see a sign indicating the entrance via Floral walk path
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