Macquarie the Governor, 1810 to 1821

• Bound for Botany Bay
• Settlement at Sydney Cove
• Soldier of the King
• Governor of NSW
• Extending the boundaries
• Commerce and trade
• Touring the colony
• Macquarie and his family
• Building the colony
• Aboriginal relations
• Education and welfare
• Elevating the emancipists
• Opposing the governor
• Return to Britain

Touring the Colony

‘I mean to View and Examine Accurately as much of the Country… as I possibly can.’
Lachlan Macquarie, 1811

Macquarie believed tours of the colony were necessary for the improvement of the country and to encourage settlers in their agricultural pursuits. In November 1810 Macquarie embarked on a series of visits by coach, ship and horseback to the outlying districts of the colony.

During his first tour, while inspecting the countryside, farms and towns in the vicinity of Sydney, he founded Liverpool and the five Hawkesbury towns of Richmond, Windsor, Wilberforce, Castlereagh and Pitt Town. In 1815 Macquarie made a grand vice-regal journey over the Blue Mountains along the new road built on his orders by William Cox.

Other tours of inspection took Macquarie to Newcastle, Van Diemen’s Land, Port Stephens, Port Macquarie, Lake George, the Goulburn plains, the Southern Highlands and the Illawarra.

A characteristic of these tours was the impressive number of natural features, towns and streets he named after himself and Mrs Macquarie.

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