Kusu Island

In March 1616 Dom Jose De Silva, Spanish Governor of the Philipines was homeward bound with his fleet of 10 galleons and 2 galleys when his galleon grounded on a reef in the vicinity. Tradition has it that the accident took place at the Kusu Reef itself and hence the island became first known in the 17th Century as "Governor's Island" and the Singapore Straits as the "Governor's Straits"

In 1806, James Horsburg, Hydrographer to the British East India Company renamed it "Goa Island" for reasons not known. Then, in 1819 the island gained prominence again when Daniel Ross, Hydrographer to Sir Stamford Raffles surveyed the harbour and established the island as a reference point for all ships entering the port.

Subsequently in 1822 a signal station with a signal mast was erected on the island and it was manned by the staff of the Harbour Master's Department.

Kusu which means "Tortoise Island" in Chinese, is also known as Peak Island or Palau Tembakul in Malay. It is situated about 5.6 km from Singapore. The Island was transformed from two tiny outcrops on a reef into a holiday resort seven times larger in size from 1.2 hectares to 8.5 hectares in 1975.

Kusu Island has a religious and legendary background. There is a Malay shrine and a Chinese temple on the island. During the Kusu Festival in the Ninth Lunar Month every year, thousands of devotees make their pilgrimage to the island to pray for good health, peace, happiness, good luck and prosperity.

Prior to the reclamation and implementation of ferry services, in 1975, devotees had to make their way to Kusu in sampans or bumboats.


All images were taken on 12th March 2008.