Macquarie Culvert Explained

Bridge Name:	Macquarie Culvert
Official Name:	Macquarie Culvert
Carries:	Pedestrian traffic
Locale:	Royal Botanic Gardens, The Domain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates:	-33.865°N 151.2171°W

The Macquarie Culvert is a double brick culvert under the original Mrs Macquarie's Road (also known as Lady Macquarie's Road) in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Australia. The culvert was probably built at the same time as the original road, between 1813 and 1816,^[1] making it almost certainly the oldest bridge in Australia.^[2]

The original Mrs Macquarie's Road ran from the original Government House (now the Museum of Sydney) to Yurong or Anson Point,^{[3] [4]} now known as Mrs Macquarie's Point.^{[1] [2]} It was built on the instruction of Governor Lachlan Macquarie for the benefit of his wife Elizabeth.^[2] There is no other remaining evidence of the original road.^[1]

The culvert was restored in 2002.^{[5] [6]}

See also

• List of bridges in Sydney
• Mrs Macquarie's Chair

Notes and References

1. Web site: Historical and Archaeological Assessment of the Brick Culvert, Lady Macquarie's Road, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, N.S.W. . PDF. 1992. Edward Higginbotham and Associates. 10.4227/11/50495ba10e3e0.
2. Our Convict Heritage . Sign near the culvert in the Royal Botanic Gardens . 2013-12-01.
3. Web site: Yurong Point and Mrs Macquaries Chair. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust. 2014-04-15.
4. Web site: Mrs Macquaries Chair. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust. 2014-04-15.
5. News: Mrs Macquarie's footsteps 200 years down the track. James. Woodford. The Sydney Morning Herald. 2002-06-24. 2013-12-08.
6. Convict-built culvert reopens at Royal Botanic Gardens after conservation. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20050706140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/36399/20050707-0000/www.rbgsyd.gov.au/media_room/media_release_archive_2002/convictbuilt_culvert.html. dead. 2005-07-06. Botanic Gardens Trust. 2002-06-22. 2013-12-26.