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Kuala Dungun is the
capital of the is a coastal district of Dungun, the Malaysian state of
Terengganu.
Kuala Dungun town used to be an iron mining town in the 1940s. Iron ores
were actually mined in a small town inland called Bukit Besi located to
the west, while Kuala Dungun served as the port where the ore was
transferred onto ships. Kuala Dungun and Bukit Besi were then connected
with a railway line that not only served the mining industry but also
served as public transportation for inland villagers, the Dungun township
and its businesses.
This "golden" era ended in the late 70s and early 80s. When the mines were
gradually closed-down, the rail service stopped and the company left the
area. Bukit Besi is now a Government-financed plantation estate; the
rolling hills and old British architecture are now long gone, replaced by
Felda Estate housing and palm oil trees.
Kuala
Dungun is now just another town on the coast of
Terengganu, sorely bereft
of cultural activities, with no cinemas and only comes alive every
Thursday when the weekly night market opens up for business. It is
well-known as the biggest night-market in
Terengganu and featured
second-hand clothing (imported from Japan and the United States) and also
food of all sorts. People from the outskirts would be flowing into town
for the cheap goods. The night market is situated right in the middle of
town, taking over a portion of the old railway line.
Nowadays, it is not a busy small town anymore. There are still pockets of
fishing and farming families and some people involved in small businesses,
while a large part of the population are involved with the petroleum
industry concentrated in another township in the south, Kerteh.
Tanjung Jara Resort with its beautiful stretch of beaches, situated on the
other side of the river mouth is still popular with foreigners and West
Coast tourists. For those who look for eco-tourism spot, D'Pengkalan Eco
Resort offer 3 natures spot at cool location in Dungun district.
Majlis
Perbandaran Dungun is the local authority that administer and manage the
township.
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