Lunas, Kedah

Lunas, Kedah (28 January, 2007)

Lunas (GPS: 5.42888, 100.53507) is a small town in Kedah just east of the border with Penang state. The latitude of Lunas correspond to Gurney Drive in George Town. The town centre is a cluster of pre-war shophouses interspersed with newer shophouses as well as renovations of the older ones.

Map of Lunas

Places of Interest in Lunas

Lunas Buddhist Hermitage (GPS: 5.4239, 100.52945)
Lunas Rubber Smoke House (GPS: 5.42845, 100.53563)
Lunas Tua Pek Kong Temple (GPS: 5.42661, 100.5317)
Soon Mansion (GPS: 5.43048, 100.5325)

Eateries in Lunas

Tan Kee Roasted Duck Restaurant (GPS: 5.42916, 100.53484)

Petrol Stations in Lunas

Caltex Sungai Limau (GPS: 5.411761, 100.543991)
Shell Sungai Limau (GPS: 5.416426, 100.540018)

Banks in Lunas

Alliance Bank Lunas (GPS: 5.423514, 100.537405)

Medical Attention in Lunas

The nearest hospital is in neighbouring Kulim.

Hospital Kulim (GPS: 5.393259, 100.572872)

Schools in Lunas

SJK (C) Hwa Min (GPS: 5.42803, 100.53235)

Villages in Lunas

Sungai Limau (GPS: 5.413624, 100.541931)

Lunas is famous for its roasted duck at Tan Kee Roasted Duck Restaurant (17 July, 2015)

History of Lunas

According to the interpretive board at the Lunas Rubber Smokehouse, Lunas got its name from the Malay word that means "keel", the central spine at the bottom of the hull of boats. How this came about is not certain, but some attributed it to boats arriving at the settlement on Sungai Kulim.

Three men were credited for founding the township of Lunas. They are Soon Ah Lee @ Baba Lee, Loh Boon Ghee and Lim Lean Teng. Together, these three men built the roads and shophouses as well as the school and temple. The town started life as tapioca and sago plantations. There was a jetty at the stream that runs through town. From there, barges can bring the tapioca and sago downriver on Sungai Kulim. Lunas, which means "keel" is thought to have gotten its name from this water-borne transportation.

360° View of Lunas on Google Maps Street View

Lunas, Kedah (28 January, 2007)

When rubber was introduced in Malaya, Loh Boon Ghee received a contract from the European plantation companies to clear the land in Lunas to plant rubber sapplings. Loh brought his relatives from Swatow in China (it was in Fujian province at that time, but the border has since been moved and it is now in Guangdong province).

When the importance of rubber began to decline, so too was the fortune of Lunas. It remained a sleepy hollow until quite recently, when the construction of the Butterworth-Kulim Expressway once again brought visitors. Today Lunas is most famously associated with its duck rice. A few places worth in Lunas include the Lunas Smokehouse, Soon Manson and Lunas Buddhist Hermitage. Other places to explore include the Hock Teik Soo Temple and Sri Maha Kuttakarai Muniswarar Alayam Temple.

Jalan Lunas (aka Route 136), the main road to Lunas, Kedah (28 January, 2007)

How to go to Lunas

If you are coming from the North-South Expressway (E1), take Exit 163 (East-West Interchange) to the Butterworth-Kulim Expressway (BKE, E15) in the direction of Kulim. Exit the BKE at the Lunas exit. can easily be reached using the Butterworth-Kulim Expressway. Simply exit at the Lunas-Kulim Exit.

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