7 secret places in Singapore that you might not know existed

Singapore may be a small island, but it's brimming with hidden gems and secret places that often go unnoticed by locals and tourists alike. From abandoned forts to quaint fishing villages, our little red dot harbors many off-the-beaten-track treasures waiting to be explored. As we celebrate the nation's birthday, let's uncover some of these hidden places in Singapore that you might not have known existed.

1. Sembawang Beach at the end of Wak Hassan Drive off Sembawang Road

This little-known beach used to be the site of a bustling coastal village and one of the longest-surviving Malay kampungs in Singapore. Today, it's a 15ha park home to one of the few natural sandy beaches in Singapore, hidden amidst new housing estates. Interestingly, around 20 roads in the area bear names of former British colonies, hinting at the area's rich history.

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2. Woking Road off Portsdown Road, near Colbar

This secret place in Singapore is marked by an abandoned water tank nestled between iconic colonial-style properties. Despite its size, the tank is not easy to locate. Resembling a giant cake on stilts, this UFO-like structure is a popular spot for intrepid schoolboys and photographers alike, who scale a rusty metal ladder to reach the top and capture unique perspectives.

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3. Parallel to the Bukit Timah Expressway, between Mandai Road and the Seletar Expressway

This hidden gem is a series of light-colored water pipes that form graphic lines against the dark green grass, converging on the horizon. Part of PUB's central pipeline reserve, these pipes once stretched from Johor to Pearl's Hill, and now convey water from the Johor River Waterworks to Singapore. The first pipe was laid in 1924, while the remaining pipes were installed later between the 1960s and the 1980s. 

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4. Serapong Spur Battery Complex, Mount Serapong in Sentosa

Built by the British army in 1879, atop a hill with a panoramic view of the city, this abandoned fort is a huge network of lookout posts, underground rooms and tunnels. It is part of the series of the defensive batteries and fortifications. Overhanging vines seem to have reclaimed the crumbling remains of this self-supporting defence post, where British coastal artillery guns stood ready for a Japanese seaborne attack which never came from the south.

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5. Upper Seletar Reservoir

This reservoir, renamed in 1992 and marked as a historic site in 1999, is home to an iconic lone tree between two benches and a rocket-shaped lookout tower built in the year of the Apollo 11 moon landing. This hidden place in Singapore was officially opened by Princess Alexandra in 1969.

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6. Block 57, Commonwealth Drive

Along a 24km stretch of greenery cutting through Singapore's first satellite town, this quaint estate will soon undergo redevelopment under the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme. Look for clues in the mirror to pinpoint this secret location before the remaining flats are demolished.

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7. Jetty at Seletar Fishing Village, located at the junction of between Yishun Avenue 1 and Seletar North Link

Part of a fishing village with kampung-styled huts along the shore, this hidden place features a wooden boardwalk where fishermen dock their boats and head out to sea. Over the years, road construction and other development work nearby have caused much concern for the fishermen as their jetties and livelihood seem destined to make way for other projects. Nevertheless, the village has survived and sits quietly very near a fast-developing integrated and industrial space designated for aerospace activities. 

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On our small island of a little more than 700 sq km, many Singaporeans' sense of adventure and discovery seem confined to the known, the familiar and comfortable. Physical spaces of everyday urban life, such as shopping malls, high-rise buildings, roads and offices, all reinforce this.

In our densely populated urban landscape, these secret places in Singapore remind us that our garden city still harbors pockets of tranquility and glimpses into our past.

However, there is more than meets the eye in this global metropolis that we call home. The Little Red Dot is also known as the Garden City - one of the greenest cities in the world - due, in part, to policies that support tree planting. To celebrate the nation's upcoming 51st birthday, The Straits Times' photojournalists uncover some hidden treasures in our own backyard which you will not find in a regular tourist itinerary.

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To experience 360-degree panoramic photographs of the respective locations, visit http://str.sg/guesswhere

Adapted from an article first published in The Straits Times.