MY · Johor · 2.35°N 102.83°E

bukit kepong

The Emergency gallery on the site of the 1950 police-station attack, beside the Muar River.

Best time
Any dry day; the visit is mostly indoors. The anniversary on 23 February brings a commemoration ceremony at the gallery. Late in the year the Muar River can flood the low roads, and the gallery's ground floor went under in 2022.
How long
Half a day
Getting there
About 2.5–3 hours' drive from KL; leave the North–South Expressway at Pagoh. It's about an hour from Muar.
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MY · Johorbukit kepong2.35°N 102.83°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,The Emergency gallery on the site of the 1950 police-station attack, beside the Muar River.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingBukit KepongMY, Johor
KLbukit kepong
≈ 154 km from KL, as the crow flies
Bukit Kepong, Muar, Johor, Malaysia

Photo: Chongkian · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

On 23 February 1950, communist guerrillas attacked the police station in this village on the Muar River. The police held out for hours before the station burned, and most of the defenders were killed, along with some of their wives and children. It's a story every Malaysian knows from school and the 1981 film, and the police gallery on the station site tells it properly.

Makan

  1. Mee bandung in MuarPlan lunch around Muar's noodle stalls on the way in or out.Map ↗
  2. Nasi campurRice with fish, ulam and sambal at the warungs along the Muar–Labis road.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Galeri Darurat Bukit KepongThe police gallery on the site of the old station: weapons, uniforms, a mock-up of the station office and lock-up, and short films on the attack.Map ↗
  2. The vehicles outsideArmoured cars, a patrol boat and an old police Ford Lynx from the Emergency years.Map ↗
  3. The riverbankThe gallery sits right on the bank of the broad Muar River, a quiet spot before the drive back.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Watch the 1981 film Bukit Kepong before you go; the kids will get more out of the gallery.
  • Pair it with Muar: the gallery in the morning, then mee bandung and the riverfront in the afternoon.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.