Exploring Mersilau

With the free time available after the wedding lunch on 27.12.2024, we drove uphill to Mersilau Golf Course and the road that leads to Mersilau Nature Resort.

Back in 1995, our consultancy practice was appointed by Sabah Parks to improve and upgrade the existing 2.2Km long access road from Mersilau Golf Course to Mersilau Nature Resort. Two bridges were needed to be built across the upper Sungai Mersilau at points where the road traversed. first bridge is a 120-feet span steel girder bridge crossing while the second one at the higher elevation is a 110-feet span steel girder bridge. The completed road then allowed visitors easy access to the Resort built at the uppermost end of the access road. 

Then on 05.06.2015, a severe earthquake struck that forever changed the face of Mt. Kinabalu and its nearby area (Read here). Significant part of the road and the two bridges were destroyed (Read here) and (Read here).

The 120-feet span bridge has now been replaced with a baily bridge and the road has been re-instated with concrete paved road. 

We continued driving to the second bridge site and found it's been similarly replaced with a baily bridge. However, access across the second bridge was not allowed and hence we were unable to continue further to see the site of the Mersilau Nature Resort.

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We also drove around hoping to find The Village Mersilou airb&b where we and our three children's families spent a night in Christmas 2017 (Read here). Somehow, we failed to locate the place and eventually ended at another homestay called The Clover. The unscheduled drive ended with my wife spending some time looking at the vegetable farms just by the road side around the Clover.