LOST tourists spilling into Central Fire Station from Hill Street would be pleasantly surprised by a quirky crash-course in firefighting.

Housed in a two-storey 1908 building gazetted as a national monument in 1997, the gallery packs heat for its horror stories - such as the devastating fires of Bukit Ho Swee in 1961 and Robinson's Department Store in 1972 - as well as upbeat, interactive displays of modern firefighting technology.

Built at a cost of $1.9 million, it is snazzy science fair and amusing archive of low-tech firefighting during colonial times.

Gallery chairman Jackson Lim, 41, says: 'You'll get a deep sense of the work and spirit of the firefighter. This is the place to be if you want to look for heroes.'

Opened to the public last November, the gallery has seen some 16,000 visitors - 90 per cent of whom are noisy schoolchildren.

As for the free guided tours on demand, even if you do not understand English, you would not be stranded. There are hand-held 'audio guides' which explain the various exhibits in English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and Japanese.

True to the economies of scale, the gallery might start charging for admission. Says Lim, who is also the head of manpower at the Singapore Civil Defence Force: 'We'll probably charge a low $1 or $2, purely for administrative purposes, of course.'

Gelled hairdos and oh-so-tight shorts

WHILE thousands of football and National Day Parade fans cheer within its greying premises, a wealth of sporting heritage lies unsung in a quiet corner of the National Stadium.

The 19-year-old Sports Museum is tucked in one corner of the National Stadium. It features artefacts from Singapore's sporting history going back 150 years. The museum sees 10,000 visitors a year, and only handles group visits.

Beneath the West Entrance is a 19-year-old museum with seven galleries of sporting memorabilia.

Amid black-and-white photographs and rusting trophies tracing the development of Singapore sports, the real distractions are the impossibly gelled hairdos and too-tight shorts of yesteryears' athletes.

Home to some of the country's oldest sporting artefacts dating back more than 150 years, the museum sees some 10,000 visitors annually.

Revisit indigenous games like congkok, bola tin and tick tock in the playroom and dive into the sporting achievements of swimmers Junie Sng, Ang Peng Siong, bowlers Adelene Wee, Jesmine Ho and athlete C. Kunalan, among others.

Says the museum's research officer, Mrs Wee-Leong May Lai: 'This place serves as a repository for all sports objects of historical value.'

Something all homegrown sportsmen should try: Check out the coaches' Hall Of Fame and try to spot those who terrorised you during your school's P.E. lessons.

Get stuffed, not stuffy

FOR those wondering why a museum for stuffed animals even exists when there is a zoo, the heartbreaking answer lies in a little glass-case display no bigger than a suitcase.

The carcass of a baby leopard cat - whose sighting was recorded only twice in Singapore history - is taxidermised carefully after it was run over on Mandai Road last June.

After 30 years, research officers here have amassed more than 500,000 samples of plants and animals unique to South-east Asia. And only last year was the collection made open to the public.

Visitors can gawk at the Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world, or the only Leathery Turtle found in Singapore in Siglap circa 1883.

Says N. Sivasothi, one of the centre's research officers: 'It's a snapshot of what's present in our own backyard, a miniaturised version of the African Savannah.'

From reading the exhibits' home-made printouts, you will realise that Bukit Timah has more species of plants than the whole of North America, or that Singapore has more ant species than anywhere else in the world.

Tempted as you might be, you are advised not to touch the stuffed animals, which have been laced with arsenic to prevent decomposition.

Fancy nonya kueh made of sponge?

SUITABLY, the most interesting thing about the Chinese Heritage Centre is an old but energetic Chinese man.

Mr Tan Lai Huat, 62, is its smiling exhibition consultant. He greets you with an iron-grip handshake, takes a deep breath, and starts talking. Non-stop.

Make no mistake, he is not the least bit annoying, just doggedly keen to share his interest in all things Chinese.

Part self-appointed curator and part exhibit caretaker, he spares no details about how he hand-made most of the props you see in the lobby, such as the replica of an old ice-kacang machine, some old cigarette boxes, a traditional nine-layered nonya kueh - amazingly made of sponge - and a cuttlefish roaster.

The proud collector and former tour guide has spent more than $20,000 over the last decade travelling the world to acquire all sorts of Chinese artefacts.

The father-of-two also insists on educating visitors on the difference between samsui women in red or blue headgear. The reds are Cantonese, the blues are Hakka.

Since the centre opened seven years ago, some 4,000 visitors have walked through its quiet galleries - which provide historical glimpses of Chinese culture and traditions anywhere from New York to Thailand - every year.

Housed in the old administration block of the former Nanyang University, the place is a gazetted national monument charged with becoming a leading resource centre on overseas Chinese.

Nanyang was the first and only Chinese-language university founded outside of China.