Macquarie University

Macquarie University is a university located in North Ryde, a north-western suburb of Sydney, Australia. It is adjacent to the Macquarie Centre, a large shopping centre for the district. Macquarie University is a member of Innovative Research Universities Australia.

Trivia

• The emblem of the university depicts Macquarie Lighthouse, the first and longest operating lighthouse in Australia.
• Macquarie University is nicknamed "Club Mac" (an allusion to Club Med), because Macquarie students supposedly have more holidays than their counterparts from the other universities in Sydney. This is only half-true, for while Macquarie students have longer holidays, they do not have pre-exam breaks ("stuvac" or studying vacation) as students from the other universities do.
• Macquarie University does not have a swimming pool, however construction has been scheduled to begin in 2005. It has its own golf driving range which is open to the public. It also has a real tennis court, one of only four in Australia (and the only one in Sydney).
• Macquarie University is home to Joy, the only public statue of a prostitute in the world.
• A one-day alternative music festival was held on the Macquarie University campus in 1997 called Equinox (as it was held on the Southern Hemisphere Autumn equinox) - which included major international acts including Tool, Skunk Anansie and incidently, a then relatively unknown Blink 182. Unfortunately, noise complaints were received from neigbouring suburbs including Epping and Beecroft. The cause was apparently the just constructed M2 motorway as it had "channeled" the sound from university into the neigbouring suburbs, and subsequently no major rock concerts have been held at Macquarie since.
• There are rumours that radioactive waste was dumped near the present site of the Macquarie Graduate School of Management during the early 1960s, although this has never been substantiated.
• Macquarie University is also home to the Macquarie Dictionary
• Macquarie University has Australia's largest Student Life group, a Christian movement with groups on universities across Australia.