Macquarie Island is about long and wide, with an area of . The island consists of plateaus at north and south ends, each of elevation, joined by a low, narrow isthmus. The high points include Mount Elder on the north-east coastal ridge at , and Mounts Hamilton and Fletcher in the south at . The island is almost equidistant between the island of Tasmania and the Antarctic continent's Anderson Peninsula (about to either point). In addition, Macquarie Island is about south-west of Auckland Island, and north of the Balleny Islands.
