Louise Goss-Custard

is editor of the Penang Free Sheet, co-organiser of Open Studios Penang, and a keen flautist who plays with Penang’s best Irish band, the DramBand and several local orchestras.

28 posts

Wonderful Surprises Abound on the Way up Penang Hill

5 min read

Anak Hutan is a charming and friendly group of people who hike together in Penang every Sunday and also arrange expeditions further afield. I have hiked with th...

by Louise Goss-Custard

A Haunt in the Hills

5 min read

The hills of Penang are dotted with “haunted houses” – bungalows built as retreats from the heat of the lowlands in the days before air condit...

by Louise Goss-Custard

On the Isle of Outcasts

6 min read

Most Penangites are aware of Pulau Jerejak, located between Penang Island and the mainland, with the two bridges to its north and its south. But few have taken...

by Louise Goss-Custard

Bukit Juru’s Short but Charming Trail

5 min read

Shady trail at summit.A little curiosity about lesser-known hiking trails in Seberang Perai – apart from the Bukit Mertajam trail – and so...

by Louise Goss-Custard

Men Who Ran PFS and Inspired Generations

8 min read

Penang Free School (PFS) celebrates its bicentennial on October 21. This venerable institution has churned out generations of leading Malaysians: “Old F...

by Louise Goss-Custard

A Wrong Turn to Adventure!

5 min read

The easiest circular hike from Air Itam Dam is the obvious one: a circuit of the reservoir service road. It is a mainly shady and flat path about 3km long, taki...

by Louise Goss-Custard

BM High Celebrates its Prominent History

7 min read

AdvertisementIn the early 2oth century, Province Wellesley, or Seberang Prai, was flourishing. Already an important agricultural area, Bukit Mertajam...

by Louise Goss-Custard

More Than an Air Force Station

7 min read

It was Australia’s biggest single engagement with Asia.At one point in the 1970s there were thousands of Australians in Penang, but few here now know wh...

by Louise Goss-Custard

A Mini Beach Adventure in George Town

5 min read

Behind 8 Gurney.Sometimes you aren’t in the mood to head for the hills in your hiking shoes, preferring instead to just amble along the beach in you...

by Louise Goss-Custard

The Botanic Gardens: A Tale of Gloom and Bloom

8 min read

The Penang Botanic Gardens is a much-loved oasis of greenery. It sits not far from George Town’s centre, and attracts plant-lovers, hikers, joggers and st...

by Louise Goss-Custard

An Ultimate Reference Guide to Penang Hill

9 min read

This comprehensive book will appeal to anyone who has plodded his or her way meditatively along a hill trail, or been driven in a buggy along Summit Road while asking themselves questions: what are these enormous boulders made from? Who lived in that bungalow and where did its name come from?

by Louise Goss-Custard

You Can Eat Healthy in Penang

5 min read

Penang is deservedly famous for its street food, but street food is not especially famous for being healthy. As obesity and diabetes become more prevalent in th...

by Louise Goss-Custard