The Merlion and the Cub were originally located by the Esplanade Bridge just 120 metres from their present location. Its current home is adjacent to One Fullerton on a newly constructed 2500 square metre park.

Also called the Merlion Park the area soon became a popular tourist attraction and took its place among the famous landmarks of great cities of the world. Mr Lee Kuan Yew the then Prime Minister of Singapore officiated the installation ceremony of the Merlion on 15 September 1972. A bronze plaque commemorated the auspicious occasion with the inscription The Merlion has been erected as a symbol to welcome all visitors to Singapore.The area also comprises a promontory with terraced seating and a viewing deck to hold up to 300 people as well as a boat landing point that allows visitors to disembark from river taxis. The viewing deck provides photographers with unrivalled vistas of the Merlion against the city skyline and the scenic Marina Bay including landmarks such as The Fullerton Singapore and Esplanade Theatres on the Bay.

There are five Merlion statues of note in Singapore:

1.The original statue at Merlion Park
2.A two-metre tall cub statue standing behind the original statue
3.The 37-metre tall gigantic replica with Mouth Gallery Viewing Deck on the.ninth storey another viewing gallery on its head and The Merlion Shop at Sentosa Island
4.The three-metre tall glazed polymarble statue at Tourism Court completed in 1995
5.The three-metre tall polymarble statue placed on Mount Fabers Faber Point

Today the Merlion attracts more than one million visitors a year who make the trip to the Merlion Park to photograph this world famous icon.

Getting There Walk along the riverfront from Raffles Place MRT Station.