Places For Families Videos & Digital Resources

A Virtual Journey to Christmas Island

2 May • 10:00am

1,330 kilometres southwest of Singapore in the Indian Ocean lies Christmas Island, a quaint little island with historic ties to Singapore. Join the researchers at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum in a delightful virtual journey exploring the biodiversity at the island!

Christmas Island got its name from Captain William Mynors of the East India Company, who sailed past it on Christmas Day in 1643 aboard the vessel Royal Mary. Rich in natural resources, the island caught the eye of the British and was annexed by the British Crown in 1888. A year later, it came under the control of the governor of the Straits Settlements and was administered from Singapore until sovereignty was transferred to Australia in 1958.

Geographically isolated from neighbouring landmasses, the insular fauna has developed high endemism, with over 200 endemic species found only on Christmas Island and nowhere else on Earth. Between 2010 and 2017, the museum mounted four expeditions to Christmas Island along with researchers from Taiwan, Japan and Australia. The objective? To conduct biodiversity surveys in its wide range of habitats: rock pools, coral reefs, cliff faces, caves and forests!

Other fascinating stories & events…

People Places Tours & Trails

37 Emerald Hill Site Tours

18 - 19, 25 - 26 May • 10:00am

18 - 19, 25 - 26 May • 02:00pm

Come along for the first ever public site tours of 37 Emerald Hill, former home of Singapore Chinese Girls’ School, the first locally founded secular school for girls by our Straits-born community and conserved through a ground-up community effort.

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People Places Tours & Trails

Baba House Neighbourhood Tours

11, 25 May • 10:00am

Explore the built histories and communities of the Blair Plain conservation district, and how approaches and attitudes towards urban conservation and planning have shaped our landscape today.

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Places Talks & Workshops

Conservation of Buildings in Singapore

25 May • 11:00am

Why do we keep the Queenstown Public LIbrary? Do you know what are the special qualities of this library, and how and why buildings are selected for conservation? Join this session to find out!

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