Macquarie University

Back in the day — or at least in the stack of clippings we've been sent — Macquarie University was that campus you could pin a ritual to and still spot something odd around the next quad.

We like to start a weekend remembering the things that made us famous to journalists: the annual astronomy night with its telescope park and planetarium (yes, the Concrete Playground listings used to rave about it), the Macquarie University History Museum that quietly held everything from an Egyptian papyrus 'book of the dead' to rare Nubian items, and the Sport & Aquatic Centre down at 10 Gymnasium Road, North Ryde — the pool that Time Out once noted was a proper eight-lane heater for the drizzle months, and the swim school that picked up ARI NSW gongs in 2024 and 2025, according to the local mums’ write-up.

We’ve also had our tabloid moments. Junkee once pointed out Macquarie’s name in that cheating/contract-cheating scandal — not our finest headline week, but we’ve always preferred solving problems in labs and libraries to solving them on deadline. And arts people still brag that the original Joy sculpture ended up at the uni when the City wanted a replica back in the day — apparently we were very possessive of our statues.

If you’re thinking about the commute, remember planners were chatting about a MetroWay that would slice Campsie-to-Macquarie University trips down to about 44 minutes — Urban List mentioned it as a dream-route proposal. TEDx used to be a thing here too; Pedestrian TV ran features on the talks that ranged from robotics law to the four-day workweek — we like ideas, even the half-baked ones.

Who would hate living here? People who crave a downtown skyline and a perpetual sense of being in a ‘centre’ — we’re a campus with surprises, not a shopping mall with mood lighting. Who would love it? Amateur astronomers, history nerds, swim families who remember booking those holiday programs, and anyone who likes a uni that quietly hoards curiosities and keeps a planetarium in its back pocket.

We’ll admit: most of what we’re saying is from the archives — so if you want today’s drama, you’ll have to wander the quad and make some. We’ll keep the telescope warm.