Time Tunnel (museum)

Time Tunnel (museum)

Malaysia's first memorabilia museum.
Established	January 2007
Location	UT/MR/F-255, Jalan Sungei Burung, 39100, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. 4°29′41″N 101°23′32″E
Type	Collectibles and Memorabilia museum.
Collection size	4,000+ objects showcased in eight galleries. Exhibition area:1,300 square metres.
Curator	See Kok Shan
Public transit access	Bus: Tanah Rata bus station. Taxi: Tanah Rata bus/taxi station or Brinchang town taxi stand.
Nearest parking	On site.
Website	www.timetunnel.cameronhighlands.com

The Time Tunnel is Malaysia's first memorabilia museum. Located in Brinchang, it is one of the main attractions of the Cameron Highlands.

Established in January 2007, the museum is filled with more than 4,000 collectibles and memorabilia. They are showcased in eight galleries covering an area of approximately 1,300 square metres.

Collection highlights

Aborigine Section

This area captures the lifestyle of the resort's natives (Orang Asli). Their tools, traps and handicrafts are exhibited on the floor and on the walls.

Location map of TIME TUNNEL museum.

'Barber Shop'

The 'barber shop' is equipped with mirrors, straight razors, scissors, hair sprays, shavers, hair dryers, clippers, curlers and a broad range of combs. The walls are plastered with posters that were once used to promote barbering. The showpiece of this "shop" is the barber chair. It is more than 50 years old.

Children’s Corner

This space is filled with blackboards, school uniforms, furniture, counting aids and a variety of toys. Nearby is a cabinet that displays memorabilia like fountain pens, erasers, pencil sharpeners, rulers, textbooks and school badges.

‘Coffee Shop’

Resembling an old eatery (’kopi tiam’), this setup comes complete with a cashier's counter, stools, tables, mirrors, ashtrays, matchboxes, chopsticks, spittoons, coffee cups and a collection of soft drinks. The drinks here are not for sale.

The museum is filled with memorabilia that serve as a reminder of what life was like in Malaysia during the pre-War years.

Collectibles & Memorabilia

The list of collectibles and memorabilia is endless. There are more than 4,000 objects on display. They range from gramophones to jewellery pieces.

Jim Thompson Corner

The niche is tucked at the midpoint of the museum. It covers an area of approximately 10 square metres. Most of the items on exhibit are a reminiscence of Jim Thompson who disappeared from the Cameron Highlands on Sunday, 26 March 1967.

Kitchen Area

Located along the ledge of the unit's second level is the kitchen area. This is a place where time virtually comes to a stand still. Here you will find an oddball mix of kerosene stoves, frying pans, crockery items, woks, chili pounders, firewood, meat safes, charcoal stoves, meat grinders and tiffin carriers.

Photo Gallery

The museum is known for its assortment of old photographs. It has an inventory of more than 1,000 images which include photographs of:

• P. Ramlee’s identification card;
• S.K. Convent (when it served as the British Military Hospital in the 1950s);
• Jim Thompson, the Thai silk king;

Brinchang, Cameron Highlands (c. 1950s)

• All Soul’s Church (undated);
• Ye Olde Smokehouse Inn (1950s);
• "Moonlight" bungalow (undated);
• "Sunlight" bungalow (undated);
• the bridge over the Sultan Abu Bakar dam (1960s);
• the Government Rest House at Tanah Rata (1950s);
• the 2nd hole of the Cameron Highlands Golf Course (1930s);
• Brinchang (1950s);
• Tanah Rata (1940s);
• Cluny Lodge (1960s);
• Father's House (1950s);
• Lutheran Mission bungalow (undated);
• Tanah Rata post office (1950s);
• the Cameron Highlands Home Guard (1950s); and
• the then Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) when it moved to Tanah Rata in 1947.

Gallery

The Photo Section	The 'Coffee Shop'	Memorabilia
The Children's Section	Collectibles	The Jim Thompson Corner

Milestones

The museum was visited by Miss Hong Kong 2008 (Ms Edelweiss Cheung), 1st and 2nd runners-up (Ms Skye Chan and Ms Sia Ma) during their tour of Malaysia in August 2008. Their visitation was organised by Hong Kong's Television Broadcasts Limited, Tourism Malaysia and Hong Thai Travel Services.

In June 2018, the museum opened a second space in Ipoh known as the Time Tunnel Ipoh Old Town museum. One of its early visitors was HE Andrew Goledzinowski, the Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia.

See also

• List of museums in Malaysia

References

News articles

• "Stepping back into time". New Straits Times. 23 February 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
• "Enter the time tunnel". The Star. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
• "Up the highlands, window down". The Malay Mail. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
• "Cameron Highlands: Malaysia's enduring 'Little England'". CNN Travel. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
• "Beat the heat in Cameron Highlands". The Financial Express. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
• "See's labour of love over time". The Malay Mail. 15 September 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
• "Cats, ghosts and gold: 5 unique museums to visit in Malaysia". The Star (online). 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
• "Time Tunnel: A look at the Cameron Highlands of yesterday". Free Malaysia Today. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
• "5 offbeat museums to visit in Malaysia". Free Malaysia Today (online). 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
• "Time Tunnel Ipoh: a glimpse into life as it once was". Free Malaysia Today (online). 14 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
• "A journey through the Time Tunnel Museum in Cameron Highlands". New Straits Times. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.

External links

• Cameron Highlands website
• Time Tunnel (museum) Cameron Highlands