Note: Please do not trespass on any private property while trying to get to this cache. There is a legal way to access this cache from Mount Rosie Road.
Welcome to Mount Rosie Road, a leafy road steeped in history and heritage trees. Tucked within the colonial estates of Malcolm Park, this area has been home to the upper crust of Singaporean society since the late 19th century.
While the black-and-white bungalows of the area are the “star” attractions, Mount Rosie Road was originally built to serve one very prominent residence. In fact, it was effectively the private driveway of one Mr. Theodore Heinrich Sohst, a German merchant whose bungalow once stood atop the hill. The bungalow was probably constructed in the 1880s and it was likely that Mr. Sohst planted the many century-old lichi (or lychee) trees that line the road – one of which has been designated as a Heritage Tree by NParks.
The road was in fact initially named for Mr. Sohst, but was changed to Mount Rosie Road, in honour of his wife, the eponymous Ms. Rosie de Souza. Their bungalow was eventually sold and changed hands several times. Most prominently, the bungalow served a short stint as Flagstaff House, the headquarters of the colonial War Office for a time in the 1920s. The bungalow was eventually demolished, and the land slowly reclaimed by forest.
What you see today is a little odd: Mount Rosie Road seems to abruptly change names to Goldhill Avenue at a bend in the road, but that is because the latter was deliberately extended to meet the former. However, if you do look a little closer – Mount Rosie “continues” a little further into the shrubbery. This older “road” gently ascends Mount Rosie around the perimeter of 24 Mount Rosie Road, possibly to where the old bungalow used to be. It’s a pleasant little walk on the secondary forest fringe, and you’ll find the cache along the walk.