Places of Interest in Tawau District > BUKIT GEMOK
PUSAT SEJADI BUKIT GEMOK
Bukit Gemok Recreational Forest Park
TAWAU, SABAH, MALAYSIA
BUKIT GEMOK HILL, Sabah
The park is now reopened after closed for two years in 2020-2021 because of
Covid-19. Visitors are lesser now and facilities need to be upgraded (such as
shortage of pipe water supply that affected the hygiene of the public toilet).
Further Contact
Tawau District Forestry Office
+60 89 761 833
+60 89 761 835
+60 89 761 863
Bukit Gemok Recreational Forest Park
Hutan Rekreasi Bukit Gemok Tawau
Contact :
Tawau District Forestry Office
Telephone: +6089-7618 333 / 761 835 / 761 863
Bukit Gemok
Road to Tawau Hills Park 4Km away
Old Palm trees over 25 years
Ground cleared from old palm trees for re-planting
Tawau solid waste disposal project
myprocurement.treasury.gov.my/
PROJEK MENAIKTARAF TAPAK PELUPUSAN SISA PEPEJAL DI BUKIT GEMOK, TAWAU, SABAH
TAWAU; SEPTEMBER 8, 2019 (Sunday) -
The first solid waste disposal project on Sabah's East Coast at Bukit Gemuk, Tawau Town which ie 1 Km away, started operational in December 2019.
The project would assist in the management and treatment of solid waste in the Tawau district at a capacity of over 150-tonnes a day.
The 470 units of the Merotai People's Housing Project which is 9 km from Bukit Gemok was completed in December 2018 is under MPT.
10 Km from Tawau
Gemok Forest Resort is situated 10 km from Tawau. This forest resort consists of a small hill named Gemok Hill. Sharing the boundary of this hill is a palm oil and cocoa plantation owned by a private company.
This forest resort was developed in the early 1990’s, basic facilities such as
rest tents, wash rooms and trails have been installed. These facilities will be
increased and maintained to cater for the needs of visitors. The trails cover
the perimeter and peak of the hill. They also allow for activities like jogging
and the appreciation of the resort’s natural beauty.
The natural forests in Gemok Hill are protected. Various commercial timbers can
be found here. Wild plants such as the forest orchid can also be seen. On top of
Gemok Hill, one can see the panoramic beauty of the city of Tawau. Besides
offering Gemok Hill climbing as one of many sports activities, the breeze and
the sacredness of this forest resort can sooth the mind of any visitor.
In this park chances are you'll see more insects than you've ever seen in
your life.
The dead leaf that was holding on
A caterpillar about 40 mm long, disguised as a dying leaf at the tip of a shrub beside the
hiking trail, 29 July 2017. A lobster moth, family Notodontidae — and a lesson in telling
a caterpillar from a pupa.
Read the record |
All the small animals of Bukit Gemok
Protected natural forests of Bukit Gemok Hill
The natural forests in Gemok Hill are protected. Various commercial timbers can be found here. Many wild plants such as the forest orchid can also be seen.
Sabah Forestry Department has develop forest recreation and education centres
throughout the State of Sabah. Bukit Gemok is only one of the many Forest
Recreational Sites developed and managed by Sabah Forestry Department
Natural Life around Bukit Gemok
The rare and threatened Chinese Egret has wintered recently near Bukit
Gemok
There are few species of hornbills frequently fly from other
nearby forests to rest in Bukit Gemok
Wildlife Research in Sabah : Many research on wildlife resources has taken
place in Sabah. Both local and international researchers cooperate with Sabah
Wildlife Department which is responsible for guiding wildlife research and
issuing research permits.
Sabah Wildlife Department has close cooperation with many different stakeholders
in research. One of the most important partners is University of Malaysia Sabah
(UMS), with which the department has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding
on wildlife research.
Some of the wildlife research issues which the Sabah Wildlife Department gives
high priority are:
Resource inventories and monitoring, which include research on distribution and
population dynamics of plants, and animals.
Some of the animal species given priority are species such as Asian Two Horned
Rhino, Asian Elephant, Tembadau, Orang-utan, Proboscis Monkey, Eustarine
Crocodile, False-Gharial, Clouded Leopard, Sun Bear, all sea turtles and
Dugongs.
Functional aspects, which include research on ecosystem dynamics and
relationships, e.g. impact on wildlife of landscape fragmentation, ecological
carrying capacity of tourists in protected areas, ecological corridors.
Management oriented research, which include research and development of
standards, techniques and technologies that will improve planning and management
of natural resources by the department, e.g. buffer zones, participatory
management, ecological impact assessment.
There is still plenty to discover and investigate in Malaysian forests.
The winged seed of Alsomitra macrocarpa
Photo above : This seed, commonly found in Bukit Gemok, has a clever structure
to help glide through the air. This seed's wing span measured 5.5 inches.
Alsomitra macrocarpa is the biggest winged seed.
Alsomitra macrocarpa
Wind Dispersal Of Seeds in Malaysia
The winged seed of the tropical Asian climbing gourd Alsomitra macrocarpa is
remarkable. The entire seed has an average wingspan of 5 inches and is capable
of gliding through the air of the rain forest in wide circles. This seed
inspired the design of early aircraft and gliders.
The wings are very thin film with wrinkles help the seed pick up lift when
flying at a low speed. The seed is located toward the front from the center,
which makes a perfect centroid for gliding through the air.
The climbing gourd plant Alsomitra macrocarpa is native to the Sunda Islands of
the Malay Archipelago, produces one of the largest winged seeds up to 5 inches
wide inside a football size club-shaped gourd. The football-sized gourds hang
from a vine high in the forest canopy, each gourd packed with hundreds of winged
seeds.
More about the Flora of Bukit Gemok
Marine Police Force, Tawau Base
View of Bukit Gemok from Marine Police Base of Tawau.
View of Bukit Gemok with surrounding forest cleared for private
oil palm plantations.
The forest were cleared last century for the first batch of oil palm which were being cut down for replanting as seen in above image.
Gemok Hill once had very rich wildlife. In the last century, the calls of
gibbons were common, and so were sambar deer, elephants at the foothills and
orangutans up on the trees. But, gradually gradually forest around the hill
being cut down by greedy politiciants in the name of economic development. The
hill today is surrounded by developed lands, these animals are not present in
Gemok Hill any longer.
Town people can seen long-tail macaques, squirrels, short-tail macaques, wild
boars and barking deer, although the numbers are quite low. There are more bird
species, including a few species of hornbills, as they can fly from other nearby
forests.
Canopy walk in Bukit Gemok Park
Titian Silara, 231 meters long, 2nd longest in Sabah. It hangs from tree
to tree on the top of Bukit Gemok providing visitors a good view of Tawau town.
George Mais Trail
Cafeteria
Shower
Toilet
BBQ
Picnic Shelter
Playground
12th November 1993
NEW STRAITS TIMES
**Museum aware of hidden treasure reports**
KOTA KINABALU, Thurs.— Sabah Museum is aware of reports about hidden treasure in
Tawau and had advised residents and treasure hunters against prospecting on
their own.
A senior official, when contacted, said Museum authorities had also arranged
meetings with residents and landowners in the area where the treasure—believed
to be gold—was buried. However, the residents and landowners consistently
withdrew from such discussions at the last minute.
The officer emphasized that the Museum holds legal authority under the
**Antiquities and Treasure Trove Enactment 1977** to control and preserve
ancient monuments, archaeological sites, antiquities, and cultural properties of
national interest. This includes regulating the excavation, trade, and export of
such artifacts, as well as overseeing research related to antiquities and
treasure troves.
If the hidden treasure in Tawau is confirmed to be gold, it would classify as a
"treasure trove" under the law. The term refers to any valuable item (e.g.,
coins, gold, silver, jewelry) found concealed in soil or riverbeds with no
identifiable owner. Notably, antiquities are excluded from this definition.
In a tragic incident on 11th November 1993 , four men suffocated when a tunnel
they dug to search for the alleged treasure collapsed. The site, located at the
foot of a hill in Km 7, Merotai Road (Bal Plantations, Tawau), is rumored to
contain gold buried by Japanese soldiers during World War II.
REMARK: The hidden treasure site is one km before Bukit Gemok Park.
LOCATION MAP OF TAWAU FOREST DISTRICT
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