The Governor of New South Wales, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Ret’d), paid his inaugural visit to Macquarie last Friday 5 June, and declared open the new section of University Avenue.

The Governor and Mrs Hurley were met by the Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor, and enjoyed a campus tour and lunch with senior staff after the opening ceremony.

According to the Macquarie University Act (1989), the Governor of New South Wales is the ex officio Visitor of the University. The role traditionally oversees autonomous non-profit organisations and intervenes in the internal affairs of the institution.

In modern times, the role is ceremonial and represents the relationship between the University and the state. Governor Hurley is the seventh Visitor of the University since its founding in 1964.

Macquarie’s roads service almost 40,000 students, 4000 staff and public traffic in our neighbouring Macquarie Park. With the significant volume of traffic using University Avenue daily, the road reconstruction was designed as the major campus thoroughfare to better facilitate traffic flow.

In an effort to create a more sustainable, vibrant and attractive campus, the new University Avenue features design elements to manage storm water and minimise environmental degradation. Its new location also moves traffic further away from the centre of campus, allowing for the development of a more pedestrian friendly heart of the University.