Labuan Landmarks

🪖 Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery

The Labuan War Cemetery is the most significant Commonwealth war graves site in Borneo, and for many visitors, the most emotionally affecting place on the island. Maintained with meticulous care by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the cemetery holds the remains of nearly 3,900 service personnel — the vast majority Australian soldiers of the 9th Division, along with Indian, British, and other Allied forces who fell during the Borneo Campaign of 1945.

The cemetery is laid out in the Commission's characteristic style: precise rows of white Portland stone headstones set in immaculate green lawns, shaded by frangipani trees. A central memorial bears the names of more than 1,100 soldiers whose remains were never identified. Many of the inscribed headstones carry personal messages from families — brief, private words that still carry weight eight decades later.

The site's proximity to the airport is both practical and poignant. You can see the headstones from the runway, and many visitors make the cemetery their first or last stop on the island. The walk from the terminal takes about ten minutes along a quiet road. Inside, the grounds are silent except for birdsong. An information board at the entrance provides historical context, and a visitors' book invites reflections.

The cemetery is a place of genuine reverence. It's also the focal point for Labuan's annual Remembrance Day ceremony each November, which draws veterans' families, diplomats, and locals — one of the most significant memorial gatherings in the Asia-Pacific region.

🕊️ Taman Damai, Layang-Layangan

Peace Park — Taman Damai in Malay — sits on the northern coast of Labuan at Layang-Layangan, overlooking the South China Sea. Built to commemorate the end of World War II in Borneo, the park marks the broader significance of Labuan as the location where peace was restored to the region.

The park contains a Japanese-built memorial — a simple stone monument erected to honour the memory of all who perished during the conflict, regardless of nationality. This inclusive approach is deliberate and moving. Japanese veterans' groups have contributed to the park's development over the decades, and it serves as a place of reconciliation rather than triumphalism.

The grounds are modest but well-maintained: landscaped gardens, a paved walkway, and benches with views across the water toward the Sabah mainland. It's a contemplative spot, particularly at sunset when the sky over the South China Sea turns gold and copper. The park is accessible 24 hours a day and is often quiet — you may well have it to yourself.

Peace Park is located near Surrender Point and can easily be combined with a visit there. The Layang-Layangan area itself is worth exploring — the beach nearby is one of Labuan's nicer stretches of sand, and the promontory offers some of the island's best coastal views.

⚔️ The Exact Spot of Japanese Surrender

On 10 September 1945, Lieutenant General Masao Baba, commander of the Japanese 37th Army, formally surrendered to Major General George Wootten of the Australian 9th Division. This moment — the official Japanese surrender in Borneo — took place at this spot. It marked the end of more than three years of occupation that had devastated the local population and the Allied forces sent to liberate them.

Today, Surrender Point is marked by a commemorative plaque and a landscaped area that preserves the historical significance of the location. The setting is modest — a clearing near the coast, with views toward the water. There are no elaborate structures or imposing monuments, which some visitors find makes it more powerful rather than less. This is simply the place where it happened.

Understanding the context deepens the visit. The Australian 9th Division landed on Labuan on 10 June 1945 — Operation Oboe Six — in what was one of the last major amphibious operations of the war. The fighting was fierce and costly. By the time the surrender was signed three months later, hundreds of Australians had been killed or wounded on and around Labuan. The surrender brought not just peace to Borneo but also the liberation of thousands of prisoners of war held in brutal conditions.

Surrender Point is a two-minute walk from Peace Park. Visiting both together, along with the historical context provided by the information boards, creates a powerful understanding of Labuan's role in the Pacific War.

🧱 Labuan's 106-Foot Mystery

Standing 106 feet tall at Tanjung Kubong on Labuan's southern tip, the Chimney is the island's most enigmatic landmark — and one of Borneo's enduring historical puzzles. This massive brick structure has survived more than a century of tropical weather, two world wars, and several earthquakes, yet nobody can say with absolute certainty what it was built for.

The leading theories cluster around Labuan's 19th-century coal mining industry. One suggests it was a ventilation shaft for underground mines. Another proposes it served as a smelting chimney for mineral processing. A third theory connects it to a brick kiln or lime-burning operation. Some historians have even speculated it was related to early attempts at oil exploration. Each theory has its advocates, its evidence, and its problems — and none has been definitively proven.

What is certain is that the structure is remarkably well-built. The brickwork is precise, the proportions are elegant, and the engineering required to construct a 106-foot free-standing chimney in 19th-century Borneo was considerable. Whatever its original purpose, someone invested significant resources in building it.

A small museum beside the Chimney presents the competing theories and provides context on Labuan's coal mining heritage. The site connects to the island's broader geological story — the same coal deposits that attracted 19th-century miners are now part of the Labuan National Geopark. For the full deep-dive into the mystery, see our feature article: The Mystery of Labuan's Chimney.

🏛️ Labuan Museum

Located on Jalan Dewan in the heart of Bandar Labuan, the Labuan Museum is a compact but well-curated institution that traces the island's history from its earliest inhabitants through the colonial period, the Japanese occupation, and its modern incarnation as a Federal Territory and international financial centre.

The museum's exhibits are arranged chronologically. You'll find archaeological artefacts from early settlements, displays on the Sultanate of Brunei's historical control of the island, and a detailed section on the British colonial era — Labuan was ceded to the British Crown in 1846 and served as a coal station for the Royal Navy's steam ships. The WWII galleries are particularly well-documented, with photographs, personal items, and accounts of the occupation and liberation. A separate section covers Labuan's multicultural communities and traditional ways of life.

The building itself is modest, and a thorough visit takes about 45 minutes to an hour. What the museum lacks in size, it compensates for with clarity — the story of how a small island off Borneo's coast became a strategic colonial outpost, a wartime battleground, a duty-free territory, and an offshore financial centre is genuinely fascinating when laid out in sequence.

🐠 Labuan Marine Museum

Housed within the Sea Sports Complex on Labuan's waterfront, the Marine Museum holds the distinction of being the first marine museum in Malaysia. It's a modest facility, but for visitors planning to dive or snorkel around the island, it provides valuable context about the marine ecosystem they're about to explore.

Exhibits cover the marine biodiversity of the waters around Labuan, including the coral reef systems, the fish species found on the wrecks and reefs, and the ecology of the Labuan Marine Park. There are preserved specimens, information panels on reef conservation, and displays on traditional fishing methods — including the bagang (stilt fishing platform) system that's unique to this part of Borneo.

The museum is co-located with the Sea Sports Complex, which is also the departure point for some island-hopping and dive trips. It's easy to combine a museum visit with a morning at the complex — check out the exhibits, then head to the jetty for your boat.

🕐 Labuan Clock Tower

The Labuan Clock Tower stands near the Sea Sports Complex and serves as one of the island's most recognisable photo spots. While it doesn't carry the historical weight of the war memorials or the intrigue of the Chimney, it's a pleasant waterfront landmark that appears in most visitors' photo collections.

The tower marks a small park area with benches and coastal views. It's an ideal spot for a brief stop — particularly in the late afternoon when the light is warm and the sea breeze picks up. If you're walking along the waterfront or visiting the Marine Museum, it's directly on your route.