Mrs Macquarie's Chair facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mrs Macquarie's Chair |
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| Lady Macquarie's Chair | |
Mrs Macquarie's Chair, near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
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 Location in Sydney
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| Location | The Domain, near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Coordinates | 33°51′34.08″S 151°13′19.93″E / 33.8594667°S 151.2222028°E |
| Part of | The Domain |
| Offshore water bodies | Port Jackson |
| Geology | Sydney sandstone |
Mrs Macquarie's Chair, also called Lady Macquarie's Chair, is a special bench carved from sandstone. It sits on a piece of land sticking out into Sydney Harbour. Convicts carved this bench by hand in 1810. It was made for Elizabeth Macquarie, whose husband, Lachlan Macquarie, was the Governor of New South Wales. The area where the chair is located was known as Yurong Point by the Gadigal people. Today, it's called Mrs Macquarie's Point and is part of The Domain, close to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.
The Story Behind the Chair
Elizabeth Macquarie was the wife of Lachlan Macquarie. He was the Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821. People say that Mrs Macquarie loved to sit on this rock. From here, she would watch for ships arriving in Sydney Harbour from Great Britain. She enjoyed the amazing views of the harbour from this spot.
Mrs Macquarie's Road
Above the chair, there is a stone with an inscription about Mrs Macquarie's Road. This road was built between 1813 and 1818. It ran from the original Government House, which is now the Museum of Sydney, to Mrs Macquarie's Point. Governor Macquarie ordered the road to be built especially for his wife.
Today, there is almost no sign of the original road. Only a small stone tunnel, called the Macquarie Culvert, remains. The stone inscription tells us more about the road:
- Be it thus Recorded that the Road
- Round the inside of the Government Domain Called
- Mrs. Macquarie's road
- So named by the Governor on account of her having Originally
- Planned it Measuring 3 Miles, and 377 Yards
- Was finally Completed on the 13th Day ofJune 1816
Location and Views
Mrs Macquarie's Point is a peninsula. It is located between Garden Island to the east and Bennelong Point to the west. Bennelong Point is where the famous Sydney Opera House stands.
The chair itself faces towards the north-east. From this spot, you can see Fort Denison and the Tasman Sea. The area around Mrs Macquarie's Point is a very popular place for visitors. Many people come here to enjoy the amazing views of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
