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26 | FireFlyz
Tan Hee Hui
goes on a
road trip of discovery to
small town Pahang but,
unfortunately, does not
find gold.
The Road
Less Travelled
T
he
Malaysian countryside is
best explored on road-trips,
to discover the nooks and
crannies. Not far from Kuala
Lumpur, we took the old
winding roads to Raub town in Pahang,
passing mountainous terrains, lush
greeneries, gushing rivers and stalls
selling local produce along roadsides – all
a sight for sore eyes. To stretch our legs,
we stopped at Tras New Village, notable
for only two rows of pre-war wooden
shophouses in striking pastel colours.
Known as the “durian valley of Raub”,
the thorny “king of fruits” grows in
abundance in the wild and also specially
cultivated in farms.
Gold mining
Little has changed since Tras was estab-
lished over half a decade ago. It is a part
of Raub district, which comprises six
other sub-districts – Batu Talam, Sega,
Semantan Ulu, Dong, Ulu Dong and Gali.
Further ahead, the bustling Raub, which
links Bentong and Kuala Lipis, is a great
contrast. Known for gold mining in the
1800s, Raub is said to be named after
the miners scooping sand to find gold.
Raub Australian Gold Mine (RAGM), a
company from Queensland, conducted
most of the mining before it wound down
operations in 1962. In town, Bibby Road
(now called Jalan Tun Razak) andMason
Road (Jalan Tengku Abdullah) were
named after RAGM managers.
Nowadays, tourism is vital for the
local economy. Raub has one of the
country’s oldest police stations, opened
in 1906. The premises – though aban-
doned – are thankfully still in relatively
good condition. For aerial views of the
town, head up Taman Bukit Indah,
where a new residential development
is taking place. A beautiful pre-war
bungalow, and a separate wing that
served as servants’ quarters, also sit
at the peak. Converted into a property
Stepping back in time in Raub
Rustic charm of Raub