It grew from a small village to a small town over the years. It is one of the coolest areas in Sabah, with temperatures dropping to 13oC at night, thanks to its elevation of around 2,000 metres above sea level. Kundasang is also linked to the horrific death marches that occurred near the end of WWII in 1945. Over 2500 Australian and British POWs perished in Sandakan and the three forced death marches through the bush to Ranau.

Kundasang War Memorial.

Established in 1962, this was one of the first memorials to commemorate the brave Australian and British Prisoners of War who died in Sandakan and during the infamous death marches to Ranau during World War II. The memorial also remembers the people of North Borneo who risked their lives to help the POWs.

The Memorial is made up of four beautiful gardens – the Australian Garden, the English Garden, the Borneo Garden and the Contemplation Garden and Pool – to represent the different nationalities. With its towering pine trees and blooming roses, a walk in the gardens is reminiscent to that of a stroll in a quaint English garden. The scent of roses lingers in the air and the serene atmosphere makes the Kundasang War Memorial an ideal place to contemplate and remember the heroes of the war. Visitors can also opt to view a brief video on the history of the Sandakan Death March.