Macquarie Street runs North to South from the Royal Botanic Gardens, and ends at Hyde Park. Seven main features are found in the following order:
Royal Botanic Gardens: An entrance to the Royal Botanical Gardens begins at the corner of Macquarie Street and the Cahill Expressway. The gardens were founded by Governor Macquarie in 1816 and opened to the public in 1831. www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/welcome_to_bgt/royal_botanic_gardens
The State Library of New South Wales consists of two main buildings, the old sandstone Mitchell Library opened in 1910, and the modern Macquarie Street wing, opened in 1988. www.sl.nsw.gov.au
NSW Parliament House: The centre section was originally the Principal Surgeon's Residence of th'Rum Hospita'. The Legislative Assembly (1843) on the left and the Legislative Council (1856) on the right completed the chambers of the NSW Parliament. Sydney Hospital (1894) www.parliament.nsw.gov.au
The present Sydney Hospital (1894) is a replacement for the demolished (1879) central two-storey block of the old Rum Hospita from Macquarie's times. The section to the left had become Parliament House and the section to the right became the Mint. This newer Victorian style facade by T. H. Rowe was opened in 1894.www.sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au/sydhosp
The Mint was originally part of Macquarie's Rum Hospita. From 1853 to 1927 it was a branch of the Royal Mint. It is now the headquarters of the Historic Houses Trust. www.hht.net.au/museums/the_mint
Hyde Park Barracks was a Governor Macquarie project built by Francis Greenway in 1819 to house some of Sydney's convict population. It has been variously a staging centre for new immigrants, an asylum, court rooms and is now a museum. www.hht.net.au/museums/hyde_park_barracks_museum
St Marys Cathedral The foundation stone of the first St Mary's Chapel was laid by Governor Lachlan Macquarie and blessed by Fr John Therry. It started as a Chapel and developed into a Gothic revival Cathedral with the spires completed in 2000. www.stmaryscathedral.org.au/History.html