The Grand Old Lady
The derrick of the first well, from 1910.
Pierre cb — CC BY 3.0 · Chongkian — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pangalau — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pangalau — CC BY-SA 4.0
A museum on top of Canada Hill, where Malaysia's oil industry was born: the country's first oil well was drilled here and struck oil on 22 December 1910, producing until 1972. The derrick that Miri people call the Grand Old Lady stands thirty metres tall in front of the museum and has been declared a protected historic site by the Sarawak government. The museum opened in 2005, funded by Shell and Petronas, and traces the history of Malaysia's oil industry from the first exploration to modern offshore platforms through models of drilling rigs, equipment and historic photographs, while statues of the first oil workers stand around the derrick. Entry is free; it opens Tuesday to Friday from nine in the morning to a quarter to five, and on Saturday and Sunday from ten to four, closing on Mondays. The hill gives a wide view over Miri and the South China Sea, with the city's name in giant letters, and it is loveliest just before sunset. The hill is a few minutes' drive from the city centre.
The derrick of the first well, from 1910.
From the first well to offshore rigs.
City and sea from Canada Hill.
Canada Hill, above central Miri
Yes: the visit is short and free, and the historic derrick and the view of the city and sea from the hill are worth the climb on their own, especially just before sunset.