Native name: Pulau Bidan | |
---|---|
Geography | |
Location | Strait of Malacca |
Coordinates | 5°45′N100°17′E / 5.750°N 100.283°E |
Area | 0.33 km2 (0.13 sq mi) |
Administration | |
State | Kedah |
District | Yan |
Mukim | Yan |
Bidan Island (Malay : Pulau Bidan) is a small island off the coast of Yan, Kedah, Malaysia. Located 17 nautical miles north from Penang, the island was used by Australian Defence force personnel and families from Butterworth/Penang as a holiday retreat for a week or two in the 1970s and 1980s, with little to no contact with the outside world, except by two-way radio. Access was generally via boat from Penang Island.
Telor and Song Song islands, to the north of Bidan Island, were also used by the Royal Australian Air Force as air weapons range or target practice range by the Australian fighter aircraft squadrons stationed at Butterworth Air Base circa 1980s.
Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. These two halves are physically connected by the Penang Bridge and the Second Penang Bridge. The state shares borders with Kedah to the north and east, and Perak to the south.
Butterworth is the city centre of Seberang Perai in the Malaysian state of Penang. It lies about 3 km (1.9 mi) east of George Town, the capital city of Penang, across the Penang Strait. As of 2020, Butterworth had a total population of 80,378 residents.
Seberang Perai is a city in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located on the Malay Peninsula and separated from Penang Island by the Penang Strait, it shares borders with Kedah to the north and east and Perak to the south. The city spans an area of 748 km2 (289 sq mi) and had a population of 946,092 as of 2020, making it the third largest city in Malaysia.
No. 79 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flight training unit that has been formed on four occasions since 1943. The squadron was established in May 1943 as a fighter unit equipped with Supermarine Spitfires, and subsequently saw combat in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II. Between June 1943 and the end of the war in August 1945 it flew air defence patrols to protect Allied bases and ships, escorted Australian and United States aircraft, and attacked Japanese positions. The squadron was disbanded in November 1945, but was re-formed between 1962 and 1968 to operate CAC Sabres from Ubon Air Base in Thailand. In this role it contributed to the defence of Thailand against a feared attack from its neighbouring states and exercised with United States Air Force units. No. 79 Squadron was active again at RAAF Base Butterworth in Malaysia between 1986 and 1988 where it operated Mirage III fighters and a single DHC-4 Caribou transport during the period in which the RAAF's fighter squadrons were transitioning to new aircraft.
Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) is a coastal expressway located in Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia. This 14 km (8.7 mi) expressway connects Sungai Dua in the north until Perai in the south.
The Penang Ferry Service is the oldest ferry service within the State of Penang, Malaysia, connecting the city of George Town on Penang Island and Butterworth on the mainland. This cross-strait transit has been operational since 1894, making it the oldest ferry service in Malaysia. Its fleet of six ferries carries both passengers and automobiles across the Penang Strait daily; each roll-on/roll-off ferry could accommodate cars either on its lower deck or on both decks.
No. 19 Squadron, formerly 324 Combat Support Squadron (324CSS), is a Royal Australian Air Force ground support squadron based at Royal Malaysian Air Force Base Butterworth in Penang. 324CSS was formed on 30 January 1999 and took on its new name of 19 SQN on 1 January 2014. 19SQN is responsible for providing support to Australian Defence Force exercises and deployments in South-East Asia. 19SQN's day-to-day responsibilities focus on supporting the ADF units and personnel at RMAF Base Butterworth, including a detachment of Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft from No. 92 Wing RAAF and the Australian Army's Rifle Company Butterworth.
RMAF Butterworth is an active Air Force Station of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) situated 4.5 nautical miles from Butterworth in Penang, Malaysia. It is currently home to the Headquarters Integrated Area Defence System (HQIADS), part of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA).
The Penang Strait is an 11 kilometre-wide strait that separates Penang Island from mainland Malay Peninsula. Penang Island is to the west of the channel, while Seberang Perai, the mainland half of the State of Penang, is to the east. The northern and southern ends of the channel join the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest maritime routes.
Car Nicobar Air Force Station is located in IAF Camp village, on Car Nicobar Island in the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
Rifle Company Butterworth is an Australian Army infantry company based at RMAF Base Butterworth in Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia. Rifle Company Butterworth was established in 1970 to provide a protective and quick-reaction force for RAAF Base Butterworth during a resurgence of the Communist insurgency in Malaysia. While RAAF Base Butterworth was handed to the Royal Malaysian Air Force in 1988 and the insurgency officially ended in 1989, Rifle Company Butterworth has been maintained as a means of providing Australian soldiers with training in jungle warfare and cross-training with the Malaysian Army. The company is staffed on a rotational basis, with both Regular and Reserve personnel being deployed quarterly.
Bagan Luar is an area of the town of Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia, between Bagan Jermal to the north and Bagan Dalam to the south. It is named after Kampung Bagan Luar, a former village in the area. Jalan Bagan Luar, or Bagan Luar Road, is a major road that runs through the centre of the area. The area is bordered by Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) to the west, Jalan Telaga Air to the north, Jalan Chain Ferry to the south and Jalan Siram and Jalan Sungai Nyior to the east. Kampung Benggali and Kampung Jawa are villages in the area.
The CAC Sabre, sometimes known as the Avon Sabre or CA-27, is an Australian variant of the North American Aviation F-86F Sabre fighter aircraft. The F-86F was redesigned and built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC). Equipping five Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) squadrons, the type saw action in the Malayan Emergency in the late 1950s and was employed for air defence in Malaysia and Thailand in the 1960s. Ex-RAAF models also saw service with the Royal Malaysian Air Force and the Indonesian Air Force.
The Seberang Perai City Council is the local government that administers the city of Seberang Perai, which encompasses the mainland half of the Malaysian state of Penang. The city council, which has jurisdiction over an area of 748 km2 (289 sq mi), falls under the purview of the Penang state government.
The Butterworth railway station is a Malaysian railway station located at and named after the town of Butterworth, Penang.
The Malaysian Expressway System is a network of national controlled-access expressways in Malaysia that forms the primary backbone network of Malaysian national highways. The network begins with the Tanjung Malim–Slim River tolled road which was opened to traffic on 16 March 1966, later North–South Expressway (NSE), and is being substantially developed. Malaysian toll road-expressways are built by private companies under the supervision of the government highway authority, Malaysian Highway Authority. While toll-free expressways are built by Malaysian Public Works Department or Jabatan Kerja Raya Malaysia (JKR) in Malay.
Teluk Air Tawar is a suburb of Seberang Perai in the Malaysian state of Penang. Teluk Air Tawar means "Clear water bay" in the Malay language. This coastal suburb has a scenic view of George Town across the sea and is home to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base.
Bagan Jermal is a residential neighbourhood within the city of Seberang Perai in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located just north of Bagan Luar, south of Bagan Ajam and west of Jalan Raja Uda. The place is named after Kampung Bagan Jermal, a village which is located within the same area. The state seat of Bagan is located within the Parliament seat of Bagan. Other villages located nearby include Kampung Kubang Buaya, Kampung Paya, Kampung Gajah and Kampung Kastam. Notable buildings located here include the Butterworth Majistrate's Court and the Tenaga Nasional Quarters. Schools that are located here are SJK(C) Chung Hwa Pusat, SMK Kampung Kastam, SK Bagan Tuan Kechil and SK Bagan Jermal.
The Port of Penang is a deepwater seaport within the Malaysian state of Penang. It consists of terminals along the Penang Strait, including five in Seberang Perai and one in George Town. The Port of Penang was the third busiest harbour in Malaysia in terms of cargo as of 2017, handling 1.52 million TEUs of cargo, as well as the busiest port-of-call within the country for cruise shipping.