Afternoon stroll around Clarke Quay

There’s not much action in Clarke Quay in the late afternoon after the lunchtime crowd have dispersed. A nice time to take a stroll around the restored warehouses or have a slow, cool drink by the river. Of course the establishments are only taking a breather and preparing for the exciting nightlife to come as evening breaks.

Clarke Quay used to be at the heart of the island nation’s entrepot trade from the time of its founding by Englishman Stamford Raffles in 1819. Located on the banks of the upper reaches of the Singapore River, it was the destination for goods from all over the world after they were unloaded from the ships that called at the harbour.

The cargo were transferred from the ships onto bumboats which carried them to the river banks where they were landed and transported to the warehouses. With the arrival of containerisation, these warehouses became redundant and fell into disuse, and would have faced the wrecking ball had the conservation movement not come to the rescue.

Today the stately old buildings have been repurposed as swanky shops, restaurants and night clubs for the jetsetters, local and foreign. The decrepit bumboats that ferried goods to shore have been converted into cruise boats, and now take tourists sightseeing up and down the river.

Check out the video below.

The Singapore River – birthplace of the citystate

The old Singapore River was the lifeblood of the island's entrepot trade. From the far corners of the earth, ships arrived and anchor out at sea, discharging their cargo onto lighters or bumboats that ferry it to the river banks where it was unloaded by coolies. These tough labourers hauled the goods such as bags of rice, jars of preserves or crates of manufactured goods on their backs and loaded them onto lorries for distribution, or storage in the warehouses that lined the river. 

The stink from the river at low tide could be quite formidable to the casual visitor, but was the smell of money to the towkays who owned the trading houses in the area. 

Today, after the relocation of the old businesses and a cleanup operation stretching over decades, the river is back to its pristine condition as it would have been when Stamford Raffles, the citystate's founder, first stepped ashore in 1819 to establish a trading post for the East India Company. 

Raffles had intended that the port would be the meeting place where people of all colours and tongues could trade free of duty or hindrance.

Now it also attracts tourists from around the world who cruise the waters in the pseudo-bumboats and take in the spectacular sights.

The pristine waters of the river are now the preserve of converted bumboats ferrying sightseeing tourists.

A cruise boat leaves the jetty for an exhilarating trip downriver and out to sea.

Catching the sun and some breathtaking views from the open deck.