SINGAPORE: Lakeside Garden, the 53-hectare western section of Jurong Lake Gardens, opened to the public on Saturday (Apr 27).
This is the first phase to open as part of the 90-hectare Jurong Lake Gardens – Singapore’s third national gardens and its first in the heartlands.
Lakeside Garden, which comprises Jurong Lake Gardens West and the former Jurong Lake Park, was developed with an emphasis on nature, community and play, said the National Parks Board (NParks).
READ: New attractions, hotel in Jurong Lake District amid tourism boost
READ: Jurong Lake Gardens to be home to Singapore’s largest collection of water lilies
Located along Yuan Ching Road and next to Lakeside MRT station, the garden includes a play area named Forest Ramble for children aged between five and 12 years old. The 2.3-hectare area is the largest nature play garden in the heartlands and has 13 different adventure stations for children, NParks said.
Forest Ramble’s Snake Play area. (Photo: NParks)
One of the adventure stations at the Forest Ramble play area. (Photo: NParks)
Children also get a water play area with a shallow tidal pool and sand-based ripple pool at Clusia Cove, located at the northern part of Lakeside Garden. An eco-pond and a cafe can also be found here.
Forest Ramble has 13 different adventure stations for children between five and 12 years old. (Photo: NParks)
A boardwalk takes visitors through a restored freshwater swamp forest with around 50 species of plants, including Rasau trees, Nibong and Sealing Wax palms. Rasau Walk is connected to the adjacent Grasslands area and wetland trails, which have a variety of habitats where grey herons, oriental pied hornbills and smooth-coated otters live.
The Grasslands is a 3.5-hectare area with six different species of grass and around 300,000 plants. (Photo: NParks)
“Lakeside Garden has been developed sensitively to retain the serenity of the area while incorporating spaces for the community and recreational needs,” NParks said in a press release.
READ: A walk on the wild side: Singapore’s upcoming nature attractions
READ: Walking the NParks 36km Coast-to-Coast trail: Worth the effort?
To celebrate the garden’s opening, the inaugural SGF Horticulture Show, an offshoot of the Singapore Garden Festival, will be held from Apr 27 to May 5.
A carnival was also held on Saturday to mark the opening of PAssion WaVe @ Jurong Lake Gardens, the first waterfront facility in the west by the People’s Association. The facility offers waterfront sports ranging from paddle-boating to kayaking and lifestyle programmes on food and beverage and health and wellness.
Lakeside Garden is the first phase of the 90-hectare Jurong Lake Gardens. (Photo: NParks)
Sport Singapore has opened an ActiveSG Park within the garden. The park features an integrated lap and training pool, a wading pool, an outdoor fitness area and a gym.
With the opening of Lakeside Garden, NParks said it will proceed with the next phase of development by calling the construction tender for Chinese and Japanese Gardens, and Garden Promenade. The remaining sections of Jurong Lake Gardens will open progressively from 2021 onwards.
