Sibu

Introducing Sibu

Where Kuching takes the cat as its symbol, Sibu sees itself as a swan, and there’s a certain aptness to the comparison – thriving on its watery location, it’s unmistakably a town with character, but you can’t help feeling a little threatened sometimes! Luckily this ugly duckling of a town usually plays nice with visitors, and has all the amenities you’ll need before you head upriver.

Sibu was once known as New Foochow, named for the Chinese migrants who came from Foochow (Fujian) province in the early years of the 20th century. Prior to this, the Melanau, then the Malays and the Iban were the area’s inhabitants.

Sibu is the gateway to the Batang Rejang and the centre for trade between the coast and the vast upriver hinterland. The Brookes were happy to let Sibu’s capitalists manage the extraction of upriver wealth. Situated 60km upstream from the sea, Sibu is where the interior’s raw materials are brought for transshipment and export. The wide, muddy river hosts a motley procession of fishing and cargo boats, tugs, barges laden with timber, express boats and speedboats skipping over their wash.

As well as its hectic waterlife, Sibu is known for a handful of superlatives, boasting Sarawak’s tallest building (Wisma Sanyan) and longest bridge (the newly opened 1.22km-long Batang Rejang bridge), as well as the biggest town square in Malaysia. However, its attractions for travellers are limited, and most people only stay a night or two before pushing on up the Rejang.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009