Lachlan Macquarie was the governor of the colony of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821. He had many buildings, roads and bridges constructed and began the first proper town planning in New South Wales. He also treated ex-convicts like everyone else. Many free settlers did not like this. They complained to the government in Britain about Macquarie. He, in turn, complained about them. Although he worked hard and was good at his job, he did not like criticism.
After Macquarie had been the governor for more than 10 years, the British Government appointed a judge called Bigge to report on the way the colony was run. Bigge reported that Macquarie had made mistakes in the way he ran things. Macquarie was disappointed by this and later returned to England.
There are many places in New South Wales named after Macquarie, including a river, streets and a lake. His picture has also appeared on stamps.