Exploring Berlayar Creek to Marina at Keppel Bay

An awesome trip this morning to explore shores just steps from an MRT station! I saw an otter!

Next to Labrador MRT station is the Berlayar Creek boardwalk that takes us through mangroves growing there. Strolling along, we get glorious views of Sentosa. Thanks to Jessica and Thong Meng, we got a special look at the amazing corals that have settled at Marina at Keppel Bay.

This trip is part of Singapore Celebrates our Shores 2018 for International Year of the Reef (IYOR). Students from the Raffles Ecological Literacy Programme are looking to write a children's book about our shores. IYOR interns Yue Chin and Frances also helped out at the walk.


Here's a video clip of the mangroves next to Labrador MRT station, with squirrels, otters, skinks, fishes, and at Marina at Keppel Bay - awesome corals!

It is cool and shady along the boardwalk, and the Sea almond tree leaves are turning red.

Along the way, lovely views of the coastal hill forest of Labrador Nature Reserve.

Thanks to Frances for pointing out interesting critters and sharing about them. Sijie also pointed out a Paradise tree snake!

Sadly, we find abandoned fishing lines with multiple hooks even though fishing is not allowed on the boardwalk.

We also noticed open work sites at Sentosa. If there is measures to mitigate it, when it rains, the orange clay will flush into the water, affecting water quality.

We took a stroll along the boardwalk next to the old Keppel shipyard docks that have been converted into lovely housing.

It started to rain as we approached Marina at Keppel Bay with the iconic Reflections at Keppel Bay.

Thanks to Jessica for arranging a special look at the corals that have settled at the Marina. She also shared lots of fascinating insights into the history and current operations of the Marina.

Thanks also to Thong Meng and his team for sharing all the special creatures that have made the Marina their home.

Carefully leaning over the edge of the pontoon, amazing corals and marine life!

Bravo to the students of the Raffles Eco-Lit Programme and their teacher Tan Sijie!

Raffles Ecological Literacy Programme is for Year 5 students focuses on place-based education which promotes learning that is rooted in what is local – the unique environment, history, culture, economy, lifestyle and people of a particular place, right in our backyard. It is often hands-on, experiential, project-based and always related to something in the real world.

The students are then encouraged to find ways to share their learning and insights with the community at large – most recently, this has taken the form of storybooks for younger learners. The books are legacies targeted to ignite the curiosity of the little ones to explore and enjoy nature.

The first Raffles Ecological Literacy children storybook was published in 2010, and the storybook project has since developed into one of the strengths of the programme. The initial concept of the books was to fill the gap of the lack of children storybooks that are based on Singapore’s local wildlife and nature. The storybooks have since achieved more than that by being companion books for children on visits to local nature hotspots, and have even been incorporated by some schools into their curriculum. In addition, the concept was adopted by some primary schools and they began producing their own books. List of the books produced so far.

Check out Frances Loke's blog post about our trip on the Little Green Men.