Endau
One of the largest fishing ports on the East Coast, where the seafood comes off the boats and into the restaurants on the same day.
Endau sits at the mouth of the Endau river, on the border between Johor and Pahang, directly opposite Tanjung Gemok. It is one of the largest fishing ports on the East Coast. Between its position at the river mouth and the resources around it, the town has always been a trading place as much as a fishing one.
It was opened by Dato’ Mohd Ali on the order of Temenggong Ibrahim, and grew on trading, fishing and logging. Through the 19th century the British called it Blair’s Harbour, though the name never stuck. More than 170 years on, the community here is a mixed one and the old town is still lined with wooden shophouses.
The markets are full of fresh seafood and local produce, and the town is known for restaurants that serve it fresh and cheap. This is a working port rather than a resort, and the food is great because of this.
Endau also carries one chapter most people have never heard of. In August 1943 the Japanese began a farming settlement here, the New Syonan Model Farm, to move Chinese out of Singapore and grow food through the shortages of the occupation. The first settlers came that September, and by the end of the first year about 12,000 people were living here. It had a school, a bank, a hospital, restaurants, a sawmill and a paper factory. When the occupation ended the settlement was abandoned and the settlers went back to Singapore.
Endau is said to be named after a Peranakan Indian, a Chitty, who lived near the river mouth. Through the 19th century the British called the place Blair’s Harbour, but the older name outlasted them.
Stay a night. The seafood is the reason to come, and it is better at dinner than squeezed into a lunch stop on the way somewhere else.
- Early morningThe fish market, and the boats landing their catch.
- Mid-morningThe row of wooden shophouses in the old town.
- AfternoonLunch at Medan Ikan Bakar Endau near the bridge crossing into Pahang.
- EveningSeafood dinner. This is what the town is for.
- NightStargazing at Pantai Tanjung Kempit
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Endau, Johor
Open in Google MapsGetting there
Endau is on Route 3, the east coast trunk road. It is about forty minutes north of Mersing, roughly four hours from Kuala Lumpur, and a straight run south from Kuantan. Buses on the Johor to Kuantan route stop here. Come by car if you can, and park in the old town, which is small enough to walk from end to end.
Documented on the ground. We were here with a camera. Prices and hours change — tell us if something is out of date.