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Gopeng is a town
located in Mukim Teja, District of Kampar,
Perak, Malaysia. It is situated
approximately 20 km south of Ipoh, the state capital. The town is located
on the west side of the North-South Expressway stretch of Tapah-Simpang
Pulai. The limestone hills and the Titiwangsa Mountains are clearly
visible; the expressway penetrates between them and the view of the Tapah-Gopeng
stretch is one of the most picturesque areas on the west side of
Peninsular Malaysia. Due to its strategic location, the towns
approximately half an hour drive from Gopeng, Batu Gajah to the west, Ipoh
to the north and Kampar at the south.
Gopeng is classified under the newly-created District of Kampar, the 10th
district of
Perak. Previously Gopeng was inside the Kinta district. The
two Mukims under District of Kampar are Mukim Kampar and Mukim Teja.
According to the official website of PDT Kampar, the whole area of Gopeng,
along with Teja and Kota Baharu are grouped together under Mukim Teja
which is now administered by the Penghulu.
Once this town was bustling with tin miners and locals who busied
themselves with the great tin mining industry of Malaysia until the
collapse of the tin empire in 1980s. According to locals, there were once
French, British and local tin mining companies developing tin mine
industry there. Among them was called the Osbourne & Chappel which opened
its franchise here in one of Gopeng's rich tin mine. Both locals and
immigrants worked there. People started to flee the town and seek better
opportunities in neighboring towns and cities soon after the collapse of
the 1980s.
Gopeng
often affiliated with the old mine giant water pipes stretching above the
trunk road, Jalan Gopeng, between the Shell Gas Station and Masjid Baru
Gopeng. The rusty pipes channeled the water all the way from the hill
slopes into the tin mines in the low lands which is now, Gopeng. Locals
called it, Paip Besar (Malay), literally, Huge Pipes in English. Although
there are no more mining activities, the giant pipes remained intact on
the original stilts and became a very significant landmark of recognizing
Gopeng. However in July 2010 most of the pipes were removed for scrap
metal, leaving just a small section at the side of the main road - the
ones that crossed over the road were removed.
However, the love towards the town has never been faded and now Gopeng
already flourished with heritage, cuisine and eco-tourism attractions
developed by the locals themselves. Gopeng is also well-known for
limestone caves such as the Gua Tempurung, located approximately 5 km from
the town centre. Gua Tempurung has become a popular weekend getaway for
many local and overseas visitors eventually became one of the tourist hot
spots.
Sources:
Wikipedia
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