New England Online > Geography > Administrative Divisions > Counties > Macquarie
Macquarie
| Macquarie | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Geography | |
| Established: | 1 October 2012 |
| Population: | 374,990 |
| County Town: | Port Macquarie |
| Politics | |
| Control: | Alliance |
| Earl: | David Johansson |
Macquarie is second most populous county in New England. Located in the south-east of New England, Macquarie is contained within the catchment of the Hastings River valley. The county town is Port Macquarie, which is located about 180 kilometres from Armidale. The county is named after Lachlan Macquarie, the governor of New South Wales between 1810 and 1821.
Area & Population
Macquarie is the eighth largest county in New England by area, and is the second largest by population. As of 2050, tye county had a population of over 374,000 people.
Macquarie is divided into the Districts of Ellenborough and Rollands Plains, the Town of Telegraph Point, and the Cities of Laurieton, Port Macquarie and Wauchope.
Politics
The rapid rate of urbanisation prompted the government to propose the creation of the Port Macquarie City Authority in 2051. The matter will be voted on at the 2052 county elections, to be held in August.
Macquarie is the heartland of the socially progressive New England Alliance and it's precusors, who have controlled the county for twenty-four years (including seven years before the party was formed). The SDLP forms the opposition on the county council, while the National Party is the third party with just x members.
| Earls of Macquarie | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Party | Took Office | Left Office | ||
| 1 | Eliza Macdonald | United | 1 October 2012 | 31 August 2016 | ||
| 2 | Jen Waterhouse | National | 1 September 2016 | 31 August 2020 | ||
| 3 | Kerrie Stuart | Liberal | 1 September 2020 | 30 June 2027 | ||
| Alliance | 1 July 2027 | 31 August 2032 | ||||
| 4 | Matt Oakley | SDLP | 1 September 2032 | 31 August 2036 | ||
| 5 | Ritchie Simpson | Alliance | 1 September 2036 | 31 August 2040 | ||
| 6 | Daisy Lau | SDLP | 1 September 2040 | 31 August 2044 | ||
| 7 | David Johansson | Alliance | 1 September 2044 | Incumbent | ||
Places of Interest
There are a number of places of interest in Macquarie registered with the Department of Cultural Heritage, including:
- Ellensborough Falls
- Lakes Innes Nature Reserve
- Limeburners Creek Nature Reserve
- Mount Seaview Nature Reserve
- Museum of Military History
- National Maritime Centre
