Lower Selatar Reservoir

We’re always on the lookout for places to take the kids to burn off some energy in the weekends. Recently we decided to check out what was at the end of the road leading to the Lower Seletar Reservoir.

There are several water reservoirs in Singapore although the vast majority of its water is pumped in from Malaysia. An ongoing source of friction between the two nations is that untreated water travels through a pipeline to Singapore, is treated and purified here, then sold back to the Malaysians. It means that Singapore always has enough water and Malaysia doesn’t need to build an expensive water treatment plant, but it’s still a source of much mud-slinging by Malaysia. Capitalism in action I guess.
As we arrived we passed a golf driving range on our left. A wizened little man was driving round in a specially designed vehicle with a massive scoop on the front collecting golf balls.

Fortunately there was a roof above his head as at least twenty golfers showed absolutely no intention of slowing down their shots while he was busy as work: our boys were both thrilled and horrified at the thought of the guy being mowed down in a hail of white dimpled bullets.

Parking the car we made our way up the slight hill to the edge of the reservoir, giving a large troop of monkeys who were intent on breaking into a primate-proof rubbish bin a wide berth on the way.
The kids were thrilled to discover a huge rocket ship resting on the waters edge, seemingly prepared for take-off. This hollow concrete structure hides a spiral staircase for an easy climb to the top and views out over the reservoir. There was a lovely cool breeze blowing across the water, heralding a change in the weather.
From the shore of this large man-made lake you look straight across the water to the Singapore Zoo on the far shore. The eerily straight paths were the perfect place for Niels to practice riding his new scooter, and the kids playground kept both he and Carl busy for half an hour. At the far end of the breezy walkway is a rain shelter and toilets, which we were quite grateful for as it started to spit with rain just as we discovered a second, smaller playground nearby. Fortunately for once the skies didn’t open to a downpour and we headed back to our starting point, spotting at least five eagles on the way.

The reservoir is definitely worth a visit and is an easy way to spend a couple of hours on a lazy Sunday if you’ve got kids or are interested in the birdlife. We’ll be back to explore further on a sunnier day.