The Daylight Crawler

Hill 180 (the single tree on top of the hill)

Close-up of the single tree at Hill 180

This is a peculiar and unsettling experience I had in 2000 on what used to be Hill 180, now occupied by Marsiling Greenview flats.

The hill was also popularly known as Batu Gajah during its heyday back in the 70’s to 90’s. 

The hill was situated at Marsiling Avenue (expunged) and that slight incline of a hill used to also lead in the direction of the former Marsiling School (later occupied by English College) which had been abandoned for quite some time. 

Hill 180 (red arrow)

Former Marsiling School

Former Marsiling School

KD Malaya flats

Marsiling Greenview Blk 182A (Woodlands Street 13) now stands on the former hill. 

There were two blocks of what looked like HDB flats on the right side of Marsiling Avenue. 

These two blocks of flats remain quite fresh in my memories is that in subsequent years, when I traveled along the present Marsiling Road, I often saw these two blocks of flats. 

A few years back, when I went there, I did not expect to see them anymore. Hence, I was happily surprised to see them still there in an open field, but fenced up. 

The two blocks of flats belonged to KD Malaya, or Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) and were the housing quarters for staff of TLDM camp which used to be located on Admiralty Road (near the present Riverside Road). 

Hill 180 can be seen from Blk 101 Woodlands Street 13

Blks 120 to 137 of Woodlands Street 13, were part of the original Hill 180. Blk 123 was formerly a terraced vegetable plot at the foot of Hill 180. 

Over the years, many changes have taken place in Marsiling. A whole new Woodlands housing estate has emerged, and I had assumed that Hill 180 had long vanished from the face of this earth. 

Although almost one-third of Hill 180 has been flattened, at least part of it is still intact. 

The left over of Hill 180 was located in what is today Woodlands Town Park East. 

There are lots of granite boulders on the hill. I think this could be one reason why the government has not flattened the entire hill in the late 90’s. 

Where large granite boulders are present, the only way to remove them efficiently is to use explosives. For example, explosions can be heard when contractors were clearing the hill to build the Singapore Sports School at Champions Way. 

In the case of Hill 180, maybe because of the proximity to schools and public housing, they may have found it not worth the effort for such a small piece of land. 

This spooky incident occurred on the hill near the abandoned Marsiling School, a place that had an ominous aura due to its deserted state. 

One day, after school, my friend Halimun and I decided to explore the hill. We settled near the one and only tree on the hilltop. 

It was there that we heard an unfamiliar lady's voice chanting prayers, unrecognizable in Mandarin or Tamil.

As the voice approached, our curiosity turned to fear when we witnessed a pale-faced lady with long hair and a flowing robe crawling up the hill using her bare hands and legs. Her eerie laughter intensified our panic, prompting us to flee downhill, resulting in a fall that landed us behind a bus stop (it is still there; infront of Blk 182A).

Seeking solace from an old Malay lady and a Chinese uncle waiting at the bus stop, we shared our experience. To our surprise, they offered the same advice - avoiding the hill, especially the area around the single tree.

Upon reporting this incident to my father, employed at Woodlands Swimming Complex, he affirmed the eerie reputation of the hill. 

Subsequently, whenever we traveled by bus from Woodlands Swimming Complex to Old Woodlands Bus Interchange at night, a glance toward the hilltop revealed a haunting sight: a white robe hanging from the tree.

I share this account not only as a personal anecdote but also to bring attention to the mysterious and unsettling occurrences around Hill 180. 

Now, the other half of Hill 180 (Woodlands Town Park East) is what remains - a peaceful park offering not just lush greenery, but a beginner-friendly hiking trail that cuts through the park and leads up a hill. The bouldered pathways with tarmac-ed roads make it easy to trek up. It'll take 15 minutes to reach the peak, plus you'll be rewarded with scenic views of the estate from up here.