Kuching Waterfront & Old Kuching

Kuching grew as a river port, and the waterfront began as a 19th-century trading quay during the era of the Brooke family, the so-called White Rajahs who ruled Sarawak for about a century. Charles Brooke built the Astana, the rajahs' riverside residence, in 1870, and Fort Margherita was built on the north bank in 1879 to guard the town against river raiders.

The modern promenade was developed from 1989 by the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation and officially opened in 1993, preserving older buildings such as the Square Tower, the Sarawak Steamship Building and the Chinese History Museum. The Darul Hana Bridge, a pedestrian bridge linking both banks, opened in November 2017, and the new State Legislative Assembly building stands on the north bank.

Kuching is famously multicultural, home to Malay, Chinese, Iban, Bidayuh and other communities, and the waterfront is where they meet. Families picnic and walk here in the evenings, couples photograph the bridge, and festivals from Hari Raya to Chinese New Year bring the riverfront to life. Penambang boatmen, many from the Malay kampungs across the river, still provide an everyday crossing for residents.