FROM DUMPING GROUND INTO COLOURFUL 'DIY PLAYGROUND'

What comes to your mind when talking about theme parks? Forget about Genting Highland or LegoLand, let’s get ready for this self-built theme park in Batu Pahat, Johor! 

This tiny self-built theme park is located at Jalan Syed Abdullah, a little corner of Batu Pahat, Johor. Before being renovated, it was a 0.2ha dumping ground which was filled with rubbish. According to the founder of DIY Playground Mr Tan Ching Swee, the idea for transferring the dumping ground to DIY Playground came about when the neighborhood residents needed a place to recycle unwanted woods and other materials.So, he forked out about RM 6000 of his own savings to repair the discarded items and became a big attraction to locals and tourists.

Even though this DIY Playground is just 0.2 ha, the self-made community park has more than a dozen rides for children to enjoy, including a flying fox, merry-go-round, spinner, Japanese pirate ship, swings, see-saw, slide, bumper cars and many other toys which all set up with recycled materials.

Most importantly, there is no entrance fee charged to enter the playground! This is because Mr Tan hopes that everyone from different financial backgrounds can have fun in the playground without worrying about the charges.

However, Mr Tan, places a donation box at the park that whoever feels like contributing a part of this playground could make it so. 

Moreover, this community park will hold activities during the festive seasons, such as Christmas Day, Chinese New Year and Mid Autumn Festival to connect the people in the neighbourhood. 

Visitors can grab a quick bite at Uncle Tan's stall, which is run by him and his wife, offering Thai food such as barbecued meat, noodles, rice, and tomyam. 

Location: Jalan Syed Abdullah, Kampung Pegawai, 83000 Batu Pahat, Johor