The Macquarie River is one of the main inland rivers in New South Wales. It headwaters rise in the central highlands of New South Wales near the town of Oberon. The river travels generally northwest past the towns of Bathurst, Wellington, Dubbo and Warren to the Macquarie Marshes and the Barwon River.

Burrendong Dam is a large dam near Wellington which impounds the waters of the Macquarie River and its tributary the Cudgegong River for flood control and irrigation. The upper reaches of the Macquarie River were first discovered by European settlers in 1813 and the river was named for the then Governor of New South Wales, Lachlan Macquarie.

The Macquarie is a tributary of the Darling River