Lundu, Sarawak

Little is known about the history of Lundu. The lands around Lundu were empty of people until relatively recently. The main river is called Batang Kayan, "the Kayan river", but there is no evidence that any Kayan people ever lived there. In the mid-eighteenth century a group of Bidayuh people from near Bau migrated and settled on the west bank of the Batang Kayan, where Kampong Stunggang Melayu now stands. They came to be called the Dayak Lundu, and though the last member of the tribe died in the 1960s, you can still see the grove of durian trees they planted. The name "Lundu" itself is taken from a small catfish that abounds in the Sungai Lundu which flows down from Gunung Gading.[1]

Lundu is currently under constant development, with more and more public infrastructures and other being built and proposed.

In state and federal Constituencies, Lundu area is represented by Barisan Nasional:

• Y.B. Datuk Amar Hjh. Jamilah Anu of PBB - Member of Sarawak State Legislative Council for N3 Tanjung Datu.
• Y.B. Ranum anak Mina of PSB - Member of Sarawak Legislative Council for N1 Opar
• Y.B. Datuk Dr. Wan Junaidi Tuanku Hj. Jaafar of PBB - Member of Parliament of Malaysia for P193 Santubong
• Y.B. Mordi anak Bimol of DAP - Member of Parliament of Malaysia for P192 Mas Gading.

Lundu District Office is the nerve center of the administration of the District. The first district officer was appointed in 1877 and the current district officer is the 44th. The district officer has wide statutory powers, to enable him to function effectively.

The district officer is also chairman of the Lundu District Council, that provides municipal services. It was first established in 1953, as Lundu District Authority. In 1957,it was restructured and known as Lundu District Council until today. The chairman is assisted by 21 councillors appointed by the government. The secretary to the Council is the CEO.

Lundu is located 100 km from Kuching City, 70 km from Bau Town, 28 km from Sematan Bazzar, 26 km from Biawak Bazzar,18 km from Kampong Sebako and 10 km from Pandan Beach. It is accessible by road. In the mid- to late-2000s, Batang Kayan Bridge was officially opened to traffic, ending the ferry services to and from Lundu through Batang Kayan. Lundu was previously connected by air, and there are remains of the former airstrip in Lundu. Part of the runway of the old airstrip is now used as a road.

Biawak which is near the Indonesia-Malaysia border is the location of one of three land border crossings into Indonesia. The Malaysian checkpoint is called the Biawak Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Checkpoint while the Indonesian checkpoint is called the Aruk Border Crossing Checkpoint. The nearest towns to Aruk are Sambas town about 93m away, and Singkawang about 160km away. Both towns are in West Kalimantan.

Lundu has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round and with extremely heavy rainfall in January and February.

• Agriculture - cocoa, black pepper, paddy, fruits and palm oil)
• Aquaculture - fish (sea bass hatchery), prawns (tiger prawns) and crab (flower and mud crabs)
• Fishing
• Tourism - Homestay programs
• Cottage industry - fish crackers, traditional cakes and biscuits and chips, supported by government agencies such as Department of Agriculture, FELCRA and SALCRA

• Tanjung Datu National Park - westernmost tip of Sarawak
• Gunung Gading National Park - home to the Rafflesia
• Siar Beach
• Pandan Beach
• Pugu Beach
• Sematan Beach - Abang Amin Beach, Sungai Kilong Beach and Pueh Beach
• Telok Melano Beach
• Talang-Talang Islands (Greater and Lesser Talang-talang) - turtle sanctuary
• Samunsam Wildlife Sanctuary
• Sampadi Island
• Rambungan Beach
• Sebako hot spring
• Jangkar Waterfalls
• Pueh Longhouse Homestay - Salako ethnic
• Telok Melano Homestay - Malay ethnic
• Kangka Longhouse Homestay - Iban ethnic

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lundu, Sarawak.

• Lundu District Council official website
• Lundu District Office official website
• Gunung Gading National Park
• Otto's Lundu Page, created by Dr.Otto Steinmeyer