Gurney Drive, George Town
| Gurney Drive | |
|---|---|
| Road in George Town, Penang | |
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Malay | Persiaran Gurney |
| • Chinese | 新关仔角 |
| • Tamil | குர்னே இயக்கி |
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| Coordinates: 5°26′12″N 100°18′45″E / 5.436563°N 100.312557°ECoordinates: 5°26′12″N 100°18′45″E / 5.436563°N 100.312557°E | |
| Country |
 Malaysia |
| State |
 Penang |
| City | George Town |
| Postal code | 10250 |
Gurney Drive is a popular seafront promenade within George Town, Penang, Malaysia. The road is also one of Penang's most popular tourist destinations, famous for the street cuisine sold from food stalls located along the seafront. In recent years, the construction of high-rises and shopping malls have also led to Gurney Drive being proposed as the second central business district in George Town.
Previously known as the New Coast Road, it was completed in 1936 along what was then known as the North Beach, and renamed in 1952 after Sir Henry Gurney, British High Commissioner in Malaya (1950–1951), who was assassinated by the guerrillas of the Malayan Communist Party during the Malayan Emergency.
Over the years, the beaches along Gurney Drive have largely been lost to coastal erosion. More recently, a land reclamation project at nearby Tanjung Tokong has reversed the erosion, leading to the accretion of silt and mud off Gurney Drive. Mangrove saplings have sprouted in the mud, which is now frequented by egrets and other birds as well as mudskippers.
As of 2016, the shoreline off Gurney Drive is being reclaimed for the purpose of creating a public recreational park named Gurney Wharf.
Gurney Drive sits on a reclaimed land created off Teluk Ayer Rajah, the bay that once existed between George Town and Tanjung Tokong. The intention to build a coastal road was already planned as early as 1930 as an extension of Northam Road(now Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah). The first 510 yards (470 m) of Gurney Drive was completed in 1934, and at that time, it was simply named "North Beach".
Gurney Drive was initially named as New Coast Road. It was then renamed Gurney Drive in honour of Sir Henry Gurney, the British High Commissioner in Malaya who had been assassinated by communist guerrillas in Pahang in 1951.
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Wikipedia