Port Dickson
Encyclopedia
Seremban
Seremban is the capital of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan, located within the district of Seremban, one of the seven districts of Negeri Sembilan. The town's administration is run by the Seremban Municipal Council or Majlis Perbandaran Seremban...
and 90 km from Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. It is located in the state of Negeri Sembilan
Negeri Sembilan
Negeri Sembilan, one of the 13 states that constitutes Malaysia, lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, just south of Kuala Lumpur and borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the south....
in Peninsular Malaysia. It takes just over an hour by car to travel from Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
to Port Dickson along the North-South Expressway.
History
This small town used to produce charcoalCharcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
, but it was later developed as a small port by the British during the Straits Settlement period. Port Dickson was also known as Tanjung. In the Malay language, that means "cape". The oldest shophouses were the four situated presently at Jalan Lama. There was also a carbon mine at the first mile of the coast road (Jalan Pantai), and therefore Port Dickson was also called "Arang" (charcoal) in the Malay language.
Tin ore was plentiful in Lukut
Lukut
Lukut is a small town in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Lukut is situated within the parliamentary constituency of Teluk Kemang. The historical Kota Lukut is located here and also Sekolah Menengah Teknik Port Dickson...
, 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 founded Port Dickson and Pulau Arang in 1889.
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. Now, Port Dickson has become not only a beautiful tourist destination, but a large municipality with about 89,000 residents.
Recent developments
The 18 km extent of beach from Tanjung GemukTanjung Gemuk
Tanjung Gemuk is a small coastal village near Port Dickson in the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan. Its beach is part of Port Dickson's long coastline fronting the Strait of Malacca....
to Tanjung Tuan
Tanjung Tuan
Tanjung Tuan or Cape Rachado is an exclave of the state of Malacca, Malaysia. It is a cape with a lighthouse facing the Strait of Malacca...
is a popular holiday destination for visitors coming as far as those from Kuala Lumpur itself. Many Singaporeans have invested in holiday homes in and around Port Dickson.
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 revived and completed, though many still remain abandoned.
In September 2009, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
Najib Tun Razak
Dato' Sri Haji Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak is the sixth, and since 2009, Prime Minister of Malaysia. He previously held the post of Deputy Prime Minister from 7 January 2004 until he succeeded Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister on 3 April 2009. Najib is President of the United...
declared that Port Dickson shall be known as "Port Dickson—Army Town" in recognition of her role in the nation's military services.
Yacht Clubs
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 in 1927, which still offers dinghy sailing courses and runs regattas. Unknown to most, Malaysia's developmental sailing teams, starting at the OptimistOptimist
An optimist is a person with a positive outlook on life.Optimist may also refer to:* A member of Optimist International* The Optimist, a small sailing dinghy sailed by children...
Dinghy level, train in and sail from the RPDYC.
The newer 5-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
Langkawi
Langkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah is an archipelago of 104 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border...
International Regatta and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
's Phuket Kings Cup
Phuket King's Cup Regatta
The Phuket King's Cup Regatta is Asia's biggest and most popular regatta. It is a one-week event held annually in Phuket, Thailand.The Phuket King's Cup Regatta was inaugurated in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand, the event has been held every year since...
regattas. Admiral Marina also hosted the disabled sailing event of the 2009 ASEAN Para Games
2009 ASEAN ParaGames
The KL'09 - 5th ASEAN ParaGames, also known as the 2009 ASEAN Para Games, originally scheduled for Laos in January 2010, will instead be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 15–19 August 2009, an unprecedented five months ahead of the 2009 Laos SEA Games...
and the 2006 FESPIC Games
FESPIC Games
The FESPIC Games or the Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled, was the biggest multi-sports games in the Asia and South Pacific region....
.
Tourism
Port Dickson is among the tourist attractions in Negeri Sembilan. A key factor for this coast to be visited by many foreign tourists and local people may be because this is the only beach in Negeri Sembilan. Furthermore, the close proximity between Port Dickson and states vicinity such as Malacca and SelangorSelangor
Selangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...
also contributes to this city's development.
Port Dickson is mainly famous for the seafood, which is a delicacy in the town. There are different seafood restaurants along the street which offers a range of cheap price with fresh seafood.
Apart from that, Port Dickson has night markets. There is a weekly night market, which falls on Friday and Saturday, and monthly night market which falls on the 15th.