Coney Island Punggol

We packed our bikes and scooters to Coney Island last Sunday. Not the one at New York but the little island off Punggol.
coney Island Punggol

Those living in the North East had been eagerly waiting for Coney Island (also known as Serangoon Island) to open its gate.
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New habitat for us to explore, we were eager to find the cow (or bull) and wild boars 🙂
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Families young and old were spotted over the weekend. Bikes, scooters, pets and joggers,
everyone wanted a piece of the rustic Coney Island.

Video (Link) : We love the cycling paths and slopes!

The gravel paths, flank by thick vegetation and rows of casuarina trees, are as natural as it can get.
How to go to Coney Island

50 Ha is neither too small nor too big, end to end is about 2km plus.
Let the kids do their own navigation, chart their own “paths” and Fun 🙂

With so many road signs, it is hard to lose your way. It might be a learning experience to empower the little ones with a sense of mission (and topo skills).
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Great outdoors to explore, especially since the haze has subsided 🙂
The kids were happy throwing stones into the sea, or chasing pretty orange butterflies.
Punggol Coney Island with family
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Whenever we are tired, just find a shady spot to rest. The casuarina trees provided good shelter from the sun.
Coney Island attractions

Multiple tracks criss-cross the island, should be Fun to run from one end to the other.
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Be it couple or family, there is something for everyone on Coney Island.
Peace, nature, exploration or beaches.
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Five beaches on the island, in case the kids need to cool down after some hot and tiring hiking.
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How about BMX obstacle course? Since we did not see any bikes around, kids treated themselves to some hurdles.
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For those who wish to spot birds, you can watch them from a secluded hut.
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Kids were happy to cycle and scout the area infront of us, freedom to explore new territory.
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Casuarina seeds everywhere. The fallen casuarina trees are recycled as benches, road signs etc.
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Kids got a quick lesson on sustainability.
Solar energy powers the island’s lights and rainwater is harvested for flushing the toilets.
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We will be back to explore the mangrove and intertidal boardwalk area.
When we hear intertidal, we assumed it has to be low tide, mangroves, mud-skippers and fiddler crabs. (we love our intertidal experience at Sisters Island, Pulau Semakau, Sungei Buloh and Chek Jawa)

Tips :
More details can be found on Nparks website. Do read our friends reviews too 🙂
Cheekiemonkies
– Hong Peng’s wildboar!

1) Do expect mosquitoes and even sand flies (sandy patches) on the island.
Protect the little ones with insect repellents. More about sand flies from Wildshore article. Do not scratch!

2) It can be pretty hot too, do bring enough water, otherwise the nearest waterhole might be 7-11 back at Punggol Settlement. We did not check whether there are water coolers at the toilets.

3) Opening hours is 7am to 7pm, I am not sure whether anyone can be accidentally locked overnight 🙂

4) If you love nature, it might take your family a leisurely two hours to explore the corners.
Perhaps add another 30 minutes for a picnic by the coast.

5) Pick up your own litter and let us keep Coney Island clean.

6) Respect the flora and fauna, wildlife, monkeys, cow, otters and wildboars. Admire them from a distance, no feeding and milking ( Npark’s Cow advisory wahaha!)

7) We can take bus 84 from Punggol Interchange to Punggol End too.

8) The nearest carpark might be at Punggol Settlement (end of Punggol Road). Those who wish to cycle can follow the scenic park connector from Anchorvale Swimming Complex (Sengkang) all the way to Punggol’s Coney Island (about 7 km).
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9) East entrance via Lorong Halus –> drive straight towards Pasir Ris Coast Industrial Park 6
(Rough GPS is 1.39699 103.93105)

Map below, 1) Lorong Halus wetland, 2) where we park our car, and walk 10 minutes to 3) East Entrance.
Punggol Coney Island GPS

Follow this path, pass Serangoon Dam (white structure) and you will see Coney Island entrance.
Coney Island East Entrance

You can cycle from 1) Lorong Halus dirt track to 3) East Entrance too. Take note there is no carpark at Lorong Halus, cars were park at the side. If you cycling in from Lorong Halus road, be careful of heavy vehicles.
How to go Coney Island East Entrance

I would recommend West entrance for easier access. There might be a track from Pasir Ris Farm area to Coney Island too.

* More photos have been uploaded on our Fanpage album.

** Coney Island will have an Outward Bound School to cater to more outdoor activities

The MAD Race

[ Media Invite ]

This morning, we participated in the 5km The MAD race (Make a Difference, organised by Touch) at Sentosa.
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Any day with psi less than 100 is a good day, Olaf greeted us on the beach and she is not melting.
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One photo before we start, when everyone is still fresh.
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All dressed in yellow, runners and walkers are participating in the MAD Race today, to increase awareness for depression.
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Nevermind if we are not the fastest, we try our best.
More importantly, run together and enjoy the day as a family 🙂
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We have to encourage Boon Xin to keep up, as she still lacks stamina to complete the 5km. Her style is sprint, pant, walk, repeat again haha.

This race has another feature. We need to collect all seven bands to form a rainbow.
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The volunteers were always eager to give her more Hi5, they even gave her extra bands for her efforts 🙂
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Remember to have some photo mementos. We seldom explore this side of Sentosa, Palawan Beach.
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Sometimes, we stop for peacocks too.
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Boon Yee (Bro to sis chat) : 1 more km, Boon Xin!
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Our friends who joined us this morning, Jbabies and Mabel 🙂
families at MAD Race
(Image credit Jbabies)

Yes, we did it! Another run to remember 🙂
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The Mad Race

I shared with the kids MAD race is not for mad people. Some folks suffer from depression and understand very little about treatments and social stigma. Our MAD Race today hopes to make a difference and hopefully raise some awareness about mental health.

Boon Xin colouring her Singa at the post-run carnival.
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More details about MAD race can be found on their website and Fanpage.

Make a Difference

* Do pop by our running adventures on this link.