Labuan Botanical Garden

Botanical Gardens About five minutes from Labuan town, is the Botanical Gardens which was previously the grounds of the Government House, locally Known as 'Bumbung 12'. Built in 1852, the house was a long and low structure with an interesting roof design. The Botanical Gardens is a recreational park with old trees and beautiful landscaping

It was believed that Hugh Low, the Colonial Secretary for many years did much of the early work on the Garden. Many of the older trees were planted by him. The house was completely destroyed during the War.

In the grounds can be found two graveyards that are believed to be the oldest on the island. One of them which is very overgrown, has graves dating back to 1847. These graves were transferred from Ramsey Point along the beach, where repeating tides resulted in the erosion of old naval grave sites. One of the two graves relocated was that of Commander James A. Gordan of HMS Wolf, present at the handing over of Labuan to the British on December 24, 1846 and who assisted in the construction of the grounds. Of this era, today, only the water storage tank remains, along with a small grave of a much-loved foxhound named 'Jim'.

The Labuan Botanical Garden is located behind the old airport, about 2km east of Labuan town and is accessible via Jalan OKK Abdullah

Enjoy as we take a pictorial walk around the Botanical Gardens.

In a later post, we will see the beautiful and relaxing water features of the Botanical Gardens in Labuan.