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 known as Lady Macquarie's Chair, is a special bench carved into a sandstone rock. You can find it on a piece of land sticking out into Sydney Harbour. Convicts, who were prisoners sent to Australia, carved this chair by hand in 1810.
It was made for Elizabeth Macquarie, the wife of Major-General Lachlan Macquarie. He was the Governor of New South Wales at the time. The land where the chair sits was called Yurong Point by the Gadigal people. Today, it's often called Mrs Macquarie's Point. It's part of The Domain, close to the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens.
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What is Mrs Macquarie's Chair?
Elizabeth Macquarie was the wife of Governor Lachlan Macquarie. He was in charge of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821. People say she loved to sit on this rock and watch for ships. She would look out for vessels sailing from Great Britain into the harbour. She enjoyed the amazing views of the water from this spot.
Mrs Macquarie's Road and Its Story
Above the chair, there's an old stone message about Mrs Macquarie's Road. This road was built between 1813 and 1818. It went from the first Government House, which is now the Museum of Sydney, all the way to Mrs Macquarie's Point. Governor Macquarie had the road built especially for his wife.
Today, you won't see the original road. But there is still a small tunnel, called the Macquarie Culvert, that the road once went over.
The stone message says:
- 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
Amazing Views from the Point
Mrs Macquarie's Point is located between two other areas. To the east is the Garden Island peninsula. To the west is Bennelong Point, where the famous Sydney Opera House stands.
The chair itself faces towards the north-east. From there, you can see Fort Denison and the wide Tasman Sea. The area around Mrs Macquarie's Point is a very popular spot. Many people come here to enjoy the fantastic views. You can see the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the north-west.
See also
