Note: Hint is needed for this cache, as GPS coordinates are off because of other nearby caches (sorry). But I did not want you to miss out on this bit of history. So I hope you forgive me. Please make your way to the small garden island that is in between the 2 roads. This area is straight out from the cruise terminal at Swettenham Pier and then follow my hint:). Welcome to my historic geocaching tour of the Georgetown UNESCO Heritage waterfront, from the Esplanade to the Clan Jetties (or vice versa). I hope you enjoy a nice walk, learn some history and enjoy another Geocaching adventure!
From this garden island you are able to see the Historic Clock Tower and Betel Nut Fountain that I will now tell you about.
Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower:
The Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower is a testament to Penang’s royal connections. This Moorish-style Jubilee clocktower is located at the junction of Light Street and Beach Street. Commissioned in 1897 by a local millionaire, Cheah Chen Eok, to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, it stands 60ft-high, one foot for each year of the Queen’s 60-year reign. There are plenty of streets and landmarks all over the island named after blue bloods but The Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower, set on King Edward’s Place in Georgetown, is one of its best known.
Interesting fact: although it is hardly noticeable, due to the impact from bombs being dropped around it during WWII, The Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower leans to one side, much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Located south of Fort Cornwallis, The Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower was built at a cost of 35,000 Straits dollars and the gleaming whitewashed tower is topped by a Moorish dome. It has four tiers: the base is octagon-shaped and the following two tiers comprise four distinct sections with elaborate windows, balconies and a working clock on each side. The topmost tier is rounded off with Roman pillars and topped with a golden dome cupola. The six steps leading up to the main entrance denote the number of decades of Queen Victoria's reign.
Betel Nut Fountain:
The Pinang Fountain was placed on the Light Street Roundabout in the early 2000s by the then Barisan Nasional ruling coalition. The 4.8 meter tall metal fountain was designed to resemble a betel nut(pinang in Malay); the word pinang had lent its name to the island and the State of Penang. Hence this fountain was designed to symbolize Penang Island (Pulau Pinang in Malay).
At first, most Penangites objected to the installation of the fountain. Heritage conservationists feared that such a modernist, metallic structure would hamper the chances of George Town being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Others were worried that the fountain would ruin the view of the nearby Jubilee Clock Tower. George Town was eventually recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. This fountain, although, initially criticized by most local Penangites, is now a widely-accepted landmark within the heart of George Town. It also provides a modern twist to the nearby Jubilee Clock Tower.
The Geocache: Located on the "garden island" in between the 2 roads. You are able to view both the clock tower and the betel nut fountain from here. It is a magnetic cache. Reach up.