Kuala Sepetang, Matang, Perak

Kuala Sepetang, site of the first railway station in Malaya
Kuala Sepetang is a sleepy coastal town in Perak. It is about half an hour from Taiping. A hundred years ago, when tin mining areas in Larut and Matang were booming, Kuala Sepetang - at that time called Port Weld - was one of the busiest ports in the region. The port was established in 1877, the year that Taiping became the administrative capital of Perak.
One call to fame for Port Weld was that it was the destination for the first railroad in Malaya. The railway connected Taiping to Port Weld, a distance of just about 8 km.
 The town of Kuala Sepetang © Timothy Tye using this photo
Today all the glory is left to the past, and Kuala Sepetang is just a small fishing village populated by Chinese shopkeepers and fishermen. Short distance out of the town is the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve and Kota Ngah Ibrahim.
 Tim standing by the old Port Weld sign © Timothy Tye using this photo
Getting there
Exit the North-South Expressway at Exit 146 (Changkat Jering Interchange) onto Federal Route 1. Head north in the direction of Taiping until you reach the crossroad at Simpang. Turn left onto Federal Route 74 and it takes you all the way to Kuala Sepetang.
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