Jalan Baharu When It Faced the Sea

This rare 1960s photograph captures a very different Port Dickson town.

Today, this street is known as Jalan Baharu. But back then, it was the edge of the sea. The row of shophouses on the right belonged to the Khoo family, and at the end lot nearest to the port once stood Standard Chartered Bank — a reminder that this small coastal town was once closely tied to international trade.

Directly opposite, near the shoreline, stood a modest wooden building — the port operation office. It marked not only the harbour’s activity, but also the end of the railway line. Goods arrived by train, were handled at the port, and moved by sea. It was a simple but efficient system that connected Port Dickson to the wider world.

On the left side of the photo was open sea. The shophouses faced the water, and waves once reached where land now stretches. In the 1980s, the area was reclaimed and eventually became what is known today as Centre Point.

Time has since changed everything. The port is no longer in operation. The railway has disappeared. The bank moved to Seremban. But this photograph preserves a moment when sea, rail, and commerce met at one quiet coastal street.

Old Port Dickson was not just a seaside town — it was once a working port at the edge of trade and tide.