Lutong Town

Submitted by ian on Mon, 2007-12-31 11:04. :: Eyes on Miri | News & Events | Photography | Special interests


A little about Lutong.

Lutong is the small suburban town in Miri, where Shell built Malaysia's first oil refinery. A quaint little town (you could take a walk from the town center and instantly end up 'out of town' - or, as the case may be - "into the river"), Lutong's economy is generated mainly from staff of the the oil and gas companies located nearby.

As a child, I lived in Lutong for a while before moving to Miri, and have experienced the great flood of 1981 (or 82?) during my stay there. Couldn't remember much of that, though. Luckily, we lived in a house built on stilts, as are most of the oil company's houses there were built at the time. Home builders were quite smart back then.

Recently, Lutong is brought into the limelight for all the wrong reasons, like the oil spill disasters and more recent flooding from the ridiculously huge amounts of rainfalls.

Lutong town seemed like a neglected township lately, because after the intial hoo-haa about Miri becoming a city, the tiny town of Lutong was almost totally neglected from tourist maps. Not surprisingly, it has very little to attract people, but its nice rustic rural feel is kept intact that I'm sure some would actually prefer.

I went there yesterday after not having gone back for a very long time to take some pictures for the memories. It's nice to know that sometimes, things that don't change too much, and it's pretty much perfect that way.

I would recommended people who visit Miri to also go take a look at Lutong Old Town, take some pictures there, and have a quick meal at the famous roti canai or noodle stalls there. The river view is exceptionally great.

townnewshop.jpg townoldshop.jpg river-boat2.jpg
river-kampung.jpg lutongbazaar.jpg river-boats-kampung.jpg river-boat.jpg
playground-tree.jpg tree-river.jpg

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I love the 2 photos of the
Submitted by Stefi (not verified) on Mon, 2007-12-31 17:58.

I love the 2 photos of the tree, they look very calming. Smiling

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True enough.. those who
Submitted by smallee (not verified) on Tue, 2008-01-01 14:58.

True enough.. those who visit Miri.. should stop by this little town and take a look and make sure you visit it in the morning time where you will find how busy it is there.

Thanks for sharing those pictures....

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I'm glad you liked the pics.
Submitted by ian on Tue, 2008-01-01 15:16.

I'm glad you liked the pics. Those are my favorites as well. A friend of mine says that Lutong is basically a 'dead' town (other than in the mornings as Smallee has stated) and there is nothing worth taking pictures of.

I sure proved him wrong!

Sometimes small towns do provide nice environments for pictures, and even if it isn't, I'm sure some people will appreciate a photo record before sudden changes to the town occur.

I've forgotten to take a pic of the old cinema. Maybe next week.

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be there, only then you know
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2008-01-01 20:52.

be there, only then you know Eye-wink

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Is the airstrip that shot
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2008-01-02 11:34.

Is the airstrip that shot straight out to sea still there? Maybe not, as I lost touch with the town for quite a bit.

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Hi. The airstrip runway and
Submitted by ian on Wed, 2008-01-02 12:00.

Hi.

The airstrip runway and taxiways are still there, but the airport building has been demolished.

The area now serves as a major spot for paramotor flying and drag racing.

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Ian, Ahhh, Lutong my
Submitted by Puteri (not verified) on Sun, 2008-01-06 04:08.

Ian,

Ahhh, Lutong my hometown! I think the flood was in 1981. I missed it too, coz I was away in college. Our shell house at that time was right behind the Catholic Church, which was in front of the mosque. Now nothing is left there except the mosque.

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Hi. Thanks for sharing the
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 2008-02-17 16:12.

Hi. Thanks for sharing the photos. I really miss miri. I havent gone back since i came to Kl for my A-levels. its been 5 years now. i just wanted to ask. When i was young, my dad used to bring me to lutong for this famous curry puff. The shop is quite small, i think its opposite the old theatre.. i wonder if its still there? do you know if its still there? i would love to go back there for those curry puffs.

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Hi. Unfortunately, that is
Submitted by ian on Thu, 2008-02-21 09:33.

Hi.

Unfortunately, that is one area I did not pass through when I went there due to time constraint.

I have a friend who regularly goes there, I'll help ask.

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The double story wooden shop
Submitted by Lian (not verified) on Tue, 2008-05-13 15:58.

The double story wooden shop is the only wooden shop in Miri... worth visit there to see their design...

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I think you're right. Most
Submitted by ian on Tue, 2008-05-13 16:32.

I think you're right. Most of the shophouses in old town area Miri have been changed into concrete since the 60s - 70s.

It is unfortunate in more recent news that there is talk about renovating that shophouse into concrete. According to the shopowners there, they are totally unable to buy insurance for their shop houses, because they're made of wood.

Wood + old electrical wiring is a very risky combo. Sad

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