Mrs. Macquarie's Chair

Mrs Macquarie was the wife of Major-General Lachlan Macquarie, the Governor of New South Wales between the years of 1810 and 1821. She frequently visited the parklands around Sydney Harbour, in the area that Mrs. Macquarie's Chair is located, as she enjoyed watching the ships sail in and out.

This vantage point focuses towards Fort Denison, an island-like construction built with the purpose of protecting Sydney from harbour invasions. The viewing of the fort, and other popular tourist attractions, such as Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, is one of the many reasons why Mrs. Macquarie's Chair is so popular today.

Mrs. Macquarie's Chair is not exactly a building, but a hand carved construction from natural sandstone rock, that forms the shape of a large chair. Convicts helped carve out the chair in 1810, and results are undoubtedly impressive. There exists a ledge shaped platform, a staircase and elegant rock features that add to the beauty of this hand crafted headland furniture. Although it is not proven, it is expected that Mrs. Macquarie used this chair to sit on, while she watched the ships on the harbour.

Today, visitors can sit on, climb and explore the amazing creation of Mrs. Macquarie's Chair while strolling through the elaborate Botanic Gardens and wandering along the water's edge. Sydney's Botanic Gardens is located on the south side of the city harbour and is easily accessible by foot from any of the city's transport options.

You can wander through and picnic on rolling green hills, takeyour own lunch or feast in the garden café, and learn about the many rare botanical features that make the Botanic Gardens a lovable and memorable icon of Sydney.

On national holidays, including Australia Day, Mrs. Macquarie's Chair and the surrounding Botanic Gardens becomes crowded with enthusiastic patrons who want to join in the local festivities and watch tall ship re-enactments on Sydney's Harbour.